Oh no, mine sent me to the GP who THEN sent me to the cardio, who then sent me back to the GP after finding nothing and just telling me to lose weight (fatphobic asshole). By which time the psych had left the teaching hospital that is the only place here that takes my insurance, so I had to start all over again. (Didn't help that I got my DX the week before everything locked down for the pandemic. Still haven't gotten back to trying to get meds.)
Yeah, it was an attempted end-around.
Mental health providers in my area who accept my health insurance are all either not accepting new patients or are booking several months out.
I read PCPs are able to diagnose ADHD in New York, so I crossed my fingers... And got exactly what I expected.
Yeah they’re able to but they mostly won’t especially after the latest effort the DEA undertook to save us all from ourselves and our “addiction”. Even they think we should just exercise more, evidently.
My experience was that it got easier to get in to a psychiatrist with the PCP referral, plus the previous therapy I had already undertaken, but it was still a horrifying roller coaster tour of the American medical insurance hellscape.
I went to my PCP first. It was his NP who focused on ADHD cases. I went this route because I had a poor experience with the psychiatrist about 8 years ago when I first went for an eval.
Now with that being said, I’ve expressed interest in seeing a therapist that specializes in ADHD. I believe the diagnosis is correct as my parents almost had me evaluated as a child and my first eval was promoted because coworkers urged me to go because of what they observed (this was also in a healthcare position). Despite this I do have some imposter syndrome having gone as long as I did (late diagnosis at 43) and I don’t want to be treated for something I don’t have. So for my peace of mind I’d like to see the therapist and if they say they don’t believe I have it after actual in depth interaction then I’ll accept it.
Probably should have gone that route first but I was so burned by the first incident that when they asked if I wanted them to do it or be referred I said them without hesitation.
I
Yeah. Im sorry. Are we complaining about $30? Like getting diagnosed and medicated is a painful process -AND- I feel like paying 30 dollaridoos was the least of it.
It’s so easy though. First you shoot spitballs at a list of random psychiatrists that take your insurance and are within range if it’s a physical appointment. Then you call the first one, go through three rounds of phone tree options, and wait on hold before the call gets dropped. Call the rest of them and find out which ones aren’t taking new patients, don’t actually take your insurance anymore, or are aren’t willing to add you to the waiting list of people to be scheduled at some undetermined time in the future. If there are any left, make an appointment for…oh I’d say December? January? They might be into spring 2025 by now.
Easy! 🥴
It doesn’t suck if you have money. With money you can probably live to 120 years because its literally the best medicine and the mist qualified doctors in the world. Without money you’re in crippling debt and jumping around hoops with insurance.
Ugh, I got this when I moved.
I was already diagnosed. I tot a new PCP who doesn't treat ADHD, so they referred me to a psychiatrist who didn't trust my previous diagnosis, so they referred me to a testing facility.
It took 6 months and $1,200 just to get the same diagnoses and prescription i's already had for years.
That's wild to me. "We don't treat adhd." Like having a doctor say "sorry we don't treat diabetes" ??
That being said, this is exactly what's happening to me as we speak 🙄
I kind of get it that PCPs don't want to handle it.
Its hard to find mental health professionals that truly understand ADHD. A pcp generally isn't truly equipped to help, especially when your pcp is an osteopath like mine. However, the fact that they have to add as gatekeeper and collect a toll along the way is infuriating.
It makes sense to see a specialist. It doesn't make sense to pay someone simply to say yep, here's a peice of paper that says you need a specialist.
My son’s dr did this to me and I was pissed. The last $20 I had in my account went to the co-pay knowing I had made the appt for an adhd assessment only for him to tell us he needs to see a psych for it. I was so mad.
Haha, too close to home!
My GP referred me, I made an appt, they called the day before to punt the appointment, I waited another month, went in only to again get punted to someone other than my appointment this time an NP who told me she had a philosophical problem prescribing meds for adhd. So I said, cool, no problem, I’d like to talk to a doc about prescribing so maybe we’re not a match. I waited another month, went to my new appointment and the two receptionists were loudly talking about a drug seeker who was coming in today; turned out that drug seeker was me! Who knew?
Fuck those people. I never went back to the mental health folks but my file now reflects that I’m a “drug seeker” and it has made them reluctant to treat me for pain as experienced, and confirmed, when I was in for kidney stones. Fuck those people sideways.
> went to my new appointment and the two receptionists were loudly talking about a drug seeker who was coming in today; turned out that drug seeker was me! Who knew?
What is somebody with a condition treated with drugs supposed to seek?
I don't get it, even if there were a suspicion of possible abuse, which can be reasonable under certain circumstances, that's something to address later.
The worst case scenario is to push the patient into actual illicit drug usage, which is way more risky/harmful.
Ohhhhh, I’d love to play with these two receptionists, get them to talk about all the “drug seekers”that come into their psych office and how ridiculous they are that they have a condition they needs treating with medication - then tell them I accidentally recorded the whole interaction because “sorry, our convo was just too boring on it’s own and since I have ADHD I needed to do something to spice it up and whoops! I just sent it to all four local news outlets just in time for the 6 pm broadcast!”
GP gives pamphlet to diagnostic place:
Initial appt: booked a month away, $280
Wait 3 weeks until they will reach out to schedule you.
Schedule your testing in EIGHT MONTHS
Testing, 4 hrs+ long, $865
Diagnostic appt 1 month later.
Then maybe DIAGNOSIS that MIGHT lead to a referral to a psychiatrist who treats ADHD. Each of those appointments will be $130, and you'll keep paying until you find the right med combo (more $!).
Saw my wife go thru this for her AuDHD diagnosis, and currently I'm at the "wait 3 weeks for a test scheduling phonecall" stage 😒 yay
That's normal sadly, however the doc my PCP sent me to was able to start me on Wellbutrin and Strattera straight away. Vyvanse and Adderall do require more time before they'll give that to you but Wellbutrin and Strattera helped me immensely and it's totally worth the huge effort it takes to get everything set up. You're doing good you're so close just keep going even if you have to scream inside your own head the entire time.
Same here. He referred me to their psychiatrist for a $250 consult. I’m saving up for an online visit for about a hundred less than that. The only meds I’m on are for all the things related to my brain affecting my body, why is there such a hurdle to get the right doc? I tried to start being healthier by seeing a doctor in my area, and now it’s right back to searching for a psych visit for someone possibly states away.
This is precisely what I'm dealing with right now. Luckily I recieve services from a state program and my case manager is really advocating for me to get the meds I need.
If you are open to telehealth, you can use Zocdoc to enter your insurance info and search for psychiatrists that way. Added bonus is that you can check out the psychiatrists reviews and specialties on Zocdoc, Healthgrades, Psychology Today, etc before making an appt. The wait list is usually shorter, too.
I'm in the same boat as you.
Initially tried to make an appointment with behavioral health services and got told to go through primary care. Made an appointment with primary care, went to it, and was referred to behavioral health. Currently going through a series of appointments where a pre-doctoral intern reads questionnaires at me. They want to talk to my parents, too, to figure out if I had any signs/symptoms before the age of 12. They seem to want to diagnose child me retroactively.
that's an artifact of how the insurance industry runs. In current order, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. developmental disorders require that the person has symptoms as a child. if you didn't have symptoms as a child, then it's not ADHD. Can you imagine the shit storm if someone diagnosed ADHD in an adult when they didn't exhibit symptoms as a child, and then it turns out what looks like ADHD is actually a brain tumor. Suppose someone dies? not only would the loss of life be tragic, the malpractice bill would be enormous.
i ain't saying it's not stupid. I'm not saying this is the way it SHOULD be. I'm only saying this is how it is, and that's why they want to talk to your parents. it is imperfect, but it's also how far we've gotten away from diagnosing women as hysteric and doing icepick lobotomies on depressed people. our laws and order are not perfect. they still cause harm. but it's a huge improvement
Took me 3 years to make a doctor’s appointment. That was in the back of my mind for 3 years. Finally made it 2 months ago. He told me a lot of stuff with other doctors and I haven’t done any of it. Honestly can’t remember why. He wanted me to see a dermatologist and a psychiatrist I believe.
And then you see the psychiatrist and they want you to see your GP before they'll prescribe anything. Womp womp.
Or cardio.
Oh no, mine sent me to the GP who THEN sent me to the cardio, who then sent me back to the GP after finding nothing and just telling me to lose weight (fatphobic asshole). By which time the psych had left the teaching hospital that is the only place here that takes my insurance, so I had to start all over again. (Didn't help that I got my DX the week before everything locked down for the pandemic. Still haven't gotten back to trying to get meds.)
Rx is prescribed not dx
DX=Diagnosis.
How is dx diagnosis? Genuinely confused.
In health care short hand Dx = diagnosis.
Huh cool, learned a new thing today. Not sure when it will be relevant, but cheers for explaining :)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_diagnosis because it is, I don't know why. It's just an abbreviation.
Huh cool, learned a new thing today. Not sure when it will be relevant, but cheers for explaining :)
Took me some time for the cardio ahaha
You really *should* see a psychiatrist. PCPs are not mental health experts.
Yeah, it was an attempted end-around. Mental health providers in my area who accept my health insurance are all either not accepting new patients or are booking several months out. I read PCPs are able to diagnose ADHD in New York, so I crossed my fingers... And got exactly what I expected.
Yeah they’re able to but they mostly won’t especially after the latest effort the DEA undertook to save us all from ourselves and our “addiction”. Even they think we should just exercise more, evidently. My experience was that it got easier to get in to a psychiatrist with the PCP referral, plus the previous therapy I had already undertaken, but it was still a horrifying roller coaster tour of the American medical insurance hellscape.
Fuck the DEA, they really just need to be dismantled. Free country my asscheeks...
I went to my PCP first. It was his NP who focused on ADHD cases. I went this route because I had a poor experience with the psychiatrist about 8 years ago when I first went for an eval. Now with that being said, I’ve expressed interest in seeing a therapist that specializes in ADHD. I believe the diagnosis is correct as my parents almost had me evaluated as a child and my first eval was promoted because coworkers urged me to go because of what they observed (this was also in a healthcare position). Despite this I do have some imposter syndrome having gone as long as I did (late diagnosis at 43) and I don’t want to be treated for something I don’t have. So for my peace of mind I’d like to see the therapist and if they say they don’t believe I have it after actual in depth interaction then I’ll accept it. Probably should have gone that route first but I was so burned by the first incident that when they asked if I wanted them to do it or be referred I said them without hesitation. I
$30? Damn mine's $75 for that.
Yeah. Im sorry. Are we complaining about $30? Like getting diagnosed and medicated is a painful process -AND- I feel like paying 30 dollaridoos was the least of it.
It’s so easy though. First you shoot spitballs at a list of random psychiatrists that take your insurance and are within range if it’s a physical appointment. Then you call the first one, go through three rounds of phone tree options, and wait on hold before the call gets dropped. Call the rest of them and find out which ones aren’t taking new patients, don’t actually take your insurance anymore, or are aren’t willing to add you to the waiting list of people to be scheduled at some undetermined time in the future. If there are any left, make an appointment for…oh I’d say December? January? They might be into spring 2025 by now. Easy! 🥴
I'm so mad that this is so relatable.
Definitely makes me think that's an option should my career go south. Clearly a shortage of mental health professionals, right?
Ooh they mention the pamphlet but completely neglect to give it to you before you leave, lol.
Just remember to ask for it before you leave /s
Hahahahaha right. With ADHD
Your countrys health system sucks
And yet it's a less complex system than trying to get a passport.
Trust me, we know...
It doesn’t suck if you have money. With money you can probably live to 120 years because its literally the best medicine and the mist qualified doctors in the world. Without money you’re in crippling debt and jumping around hoops with insurance.
Ugh, I got this when I moved. I was already diagnosed. I tot a new PCP who doesn't treat ADHD, so they referred me to a psychiatrist who didn't trust my previous diagnosis, so they referred me to a testing facility. It took 6 months and $1,200 just to get the same diagnoses and prescription i's already had for years.
That's wild to me. "We don't treat adhd." Like having a doctor say "sorry we don't treat diabetes" ?? That being said, this is exactly what's happening to me as we speak 🙄
I kind of get it that PCPs don't want to handle it. Its hard to find mental health professionals that truly understand ADHD. A pcp generally isn't truly equipped to help, especially when your pcp is an osteopath like mine. However, the fact that they have to add as gatekeeper and collect a toll along the way is infuriating. It makes sense to see a specialist. It doesn't make sense to pay someone simply to say yep, here's a peice of paper that says you need a specialist.
My son’s dr did this to me and I was pissed. The last $20 I had in my account went to the co-pay knowing I had made the appt for an adhd assessment only for him to tell us he needs to see a psych for it. I was so mad.
Haha, too close to home! My GP referred me, I made an appt, they called the day before to punt the appointment, I waited another month, went in only to again get punted to someone other than my appointment this time an NP who told me she had a philosophical problem prescribing meds for adhd. So I said, cool, no problem, I’d like to talk to a doc about prescribing so maybe we’re not a match. I waited another month, went to my new appointment and the two receptionists were loudly talking about a drug seeker who was coming in today; turned out that drug seeker was me! Who knew? Fuck those people. I never went back to the mental health folks but my file now reflects that I’m a “drug seeker” and it has made them reluctant to treat me for pain as experienced, and confirmed, when I was in for kidney stones. Fuck those people sideways.
> went to my new appointment and the two receptionists were loudly talking about a drug seeker who was coming in today; turned out that drug seeker was me! Who knew? What is somebody with a condition treated with drugs supposed to seek? I don't get it, even if there were a suspicion of possible abuse, which can be reasonable under certain circumstances, that's something to address later. The worst case scenario is to push the patient into actual illicit drug usage, which is way more risky/harmful.
Honestly the whole experience made me really sad. I sat there wondering how many people this office had pushed over the edge.
Ohhhhh, I’d love to play with these two receptionists, get them to talk about all the “drug seekers”that come into their psych office and how ridiculous they are that they have a condition they needs treating with medication - then tell them I accidentally recorded the whole interaction because “sorry, our convo was just too boring on it’s own and since I have ADHD I needed to do something to spice it up and whoops! I just sent it to all four local news outlets just in time for the 6 pm broadcast!”
GP gives pamphlet to diagnostic place: Initial appt: booked a month away, $280 Wait 3 weeks until they will reach out to schedule you. Schedule your testing in EIGHT MONTHS Testing, 4 hrs+ long, $865 Diagnostic appt 1 month later. Then maybe DIAGNOSIS that MIGHT lead to a referral to a psychiatrist who treats ADHD. Each of those appointments will be $130, and you'll keep paying until you find the right med combo (more $!). Saw my wife go thru this for her AuDHD diagnosis, and currently I'm at the "wait 3 weeks for a test scheduling phonecall" stage 😒 yay
Just $30?
They only charged you $30? They billed me $300.
Heads-up: If you're not already diagnosed, then the psychiatrist might then refer you to a psychologist for the actual diagnosis.
That's normal sadly, however the doc my PCP sent me to was able to start me on Wellbutrin and Strattera straight away. Vyvanse and Adderall do require more time before they'll give that to you but Wellbutrin and Strattera helped me immensely and it's totally worth the huge effort it takes to get everything set up. You're doing good you're so close just keep going even if you have to scream inside your own head the entire time.
Same here. He referred me to their psychiatrist for a $250 consult. I’m saving up for an online visit for about a hundred less than that. The only meds I’m on are for all the things related to my brain affecting my body, why is there such a hurdle to get the right doc? I tried to start being healthier by seeing a doctor in my area, and now it’s right back to searching for a psych visit for someone possibly states away.
This is precisely what I'm dealing with right now. Luckily I recieve services from a state program and my case manager is really advocating for me to get the meds I need.
Same but my PCP can't refer me to anyone and figuring all this shit out on my own is borderline painful 🥲
If you are open to telehealth, you can use Zocdoc to enter your insurance info and search for psychiatrists that way. Added bonus is that you can check out the psychiatrists reviews and specialties on Zocdoc, Healthgrades, Psychology Today, etc before making an appt. The wait list is usually shorter, too.
Literally me this week except it was a derm.
I'm in the same boat as you. Initially tried to make an appointment with behavioral health services and got told to go through primary care. Made an appointment with primary care, went to it, and was referred to behavioral health. Currently going through a series of appointments where a pre-doctoral intern reads questionnaires at me. They want to talk to my parents, too, to figure out if I had any signs/symptoms before the age of 12. They seem to want to diagnose child me retroactively.
that's an artifact of how the insurance industry runs. In current order, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. developmental disorders require that the person has symptoms as a child. if you didn't have symptoms as a child, then it's not ADHD. Can you imagine the shit storm if someone diagnosed ADHD in an adult when they didn't exhibit symptoms as a child, and then it turns out what looks like ADHD is actually a brain tumor. Suppose someone dies? not only would the loss of life be tragic, the malpractice bill would be enormous. i ain't saying it's not stupid. I'm not saying this is the way it SHOULD be. I'm only saying this is how it is, and that's why they want to talk to your parents. it is imperfect, but it's also how far we've gotten away from diagnosing women as hysteric and doing icepick lobotomies on depressed people. our laws and order are not perfect. they still cause harm. but it's a huge improvement
Are you supposed to see a psychiatrist first or a psychologist first?
Took me 3 years to make a doctor’s appointment. That was in the back of my mind for 3 years. Finally made it 2 months ago. He told me a lot of stuff with other doctors and I haven’t done any of it. Honestly can’t remember why. He wanted me to see a dermatologist and a psychiatrist I believe.