ADHDifference - DIAGNOSIS

ADHDifference

Julie Legg and Jel Legg discuss the adult ADHD diagnosis process in New Zealand – what lead them to seek a diagnosis in their 50s, the assessment procedure, and their personal journey.

They chat about the reasons they chose to be assessed and what it was like to be assessed online rather than in person. They candidly chat about all things ADHD relating to their adult ADHD experience.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Making the choice between a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist for the ADHD assessment.
• Assessment via Health New Zealand (formerly DHBs) vs going private, and how assessments may differ.
• Personal reasons for seeking an ADHD assessment.
• Choosing to treat ADHD unmedicated.
• Suggestions of homework to do before your assessment to gather helpful information.

Key takeaways:

• Many qualified people can assess ADHD but for an adult diagnosis, it needs to be done through a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist.
• Only a psychiatrist (medically trained) can prescribe ADHD medication.
• Psychologists and psychiatrists assess ‘the all of you’ – be prepared for a diagnosis that you had not necessarily anticipated, including comorbidities (several disorders).
• If you have ADHD you would have the disorder/difference as a child too. Looking back to your younger years (12 years of age) is required to establish that traits have existed throughout your lifetime.
• The assessment is the process that you go through and the diagnosis is literally the result at the end of it, whether it's ADHD, whether it's ADHD plus something else, or whether it's none of the above.

Links:

Julie is the author of THE MISSING PIECE: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD (Harper Collins, 2024).

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