I got diagnosed a few months ago at 37. I live in the US and have Kaiser as my insurance provider. I tried to go through them and they wanted me to jump through several hoops. Stop drinking and smoking weed for 6 weeks, get school transcripts from as far back as elementary school, and even then they said they were very busy and appointments were tough to get in a timely manner. I found a place nearby that specialized in mental health “through the lens of ADHD” but did not take any kind of insurance. It was pricey but if it helps I think it’s worth it. I set up my initial evaluation, answered some questions, filled out some forms, went to the evaluation and got diagnosed. $800 so far. They offered a few treatment options: therapy, executive function coaching, and medication. For the coaching they recommend weekly or biweekly sessions for about 6 months. Wasn’t trying to spend that much at this point. Don’t remember how much they wanted for the therapy. I went the medication route, there was an initial virtual session followed by an in-person session which I did this week. They gave me a good explaination about what ADHD is and what it does, as well as what some of the more commonly used meds do, and put me on a starting dose of ritalin which I might pick up today. I have a follow up appointment in about a month where they’ll evaluate if the ritalin is a good option and if they need to adjust the dose. I think so far it’s cost me about $2000, but once we find out the right meds and dosage my doc at Kaiser said he’s open to having those transfered to the Kaiser pharmacy.
Get in touch with a therapist. Talk to therapist about struggles. Therapist may recommend seeing a doctor or psychiatrist (or may even have a psychiatrist onsite) that can help with diagnosing.
FYI - it’s not always ADHD. Sometimes it’s anxiety, or PTSD, or a number of other things. Either way, you’ll learn a lot about yourself in therapy.
Honestly, if your symptoms are apparent, a psychiatrist might diagnose you pretty immediately.
Doesn’t make it free, of course, but it does mean you wouldn’t need regular sessions.
I was seeing a psychiatrist for a while, stopped for unrelated reasons, and now my med manager or primary doctor writes the prescriptions for my meds. I see a doctor once every 6 months, basically.
Now, I do have insurance, but for a minute I didn’t, and a visit cost about 200$, can’t remember exactly.
How do you even get diagnosed
I got diagnosed a few months ago at 37. I live in the US and have Kaiser as my insurance provider. I tried to go through them and they wanted me to jump through several hoops. Stop drinking and smoking weed for 6 weeks, get school transcripts from as far back as elementary school, and even then they said they were very busy and appointments were tough to get in a timely manner. I found a place nearby that specialized in mental health “through the lens of ADHD” but did not take any kind of insurance. It was pricey but if it helps I think it’s worth it. I set up my initial evaluation, answered some questions, filled out some forms, went to the evaluation and got diagnosed. $800 so far. They offered a few treatment options: therapy, executive function coaching, and medication. For the coaching they recommend weekly or biweekly sessions for about 6 months. Wasn’t trying to spend that much at this point. Don’t remember how much they wanted for the therapy. I went the medication route, there was an initial virtual session followed by an in-person session which I did this week. They gave me a good explaination about what ADHD is and what it does, as well as what some of the more commonly used meds do, and put me on a starting dose of ritalin which I might pick up today. I have a follow up appointment in about a month where they’ll evaluate if the ritalin is a good option and if they need to adjust the dose. I think so far it’s cost me about $2000, but once we find out the right meds and dosage my doc at Kaiser said he’s open to having those transfered to the Kaiser pharmacy.
Get in touch with a therapist. Talk to therapist about struggles. Therapist may recommend seeing a doctor or psychiatrist (or may even have a psychiatrist onsite) that can help with diagnosing.
FYI - it’s not always ADHD. Sometimes it’s anxiety, or PTSD, or a number of other things. Either way, you’ll learn a lot about yourself in therapy.
What if i don’t have insurance because i work for a small company that doesn’t have to provide it?
Honestly, if your symptoms are apparent, a psychiatrist might diagnose you pretty immediately.
Doesn’t make it free, of course, but it does mean you wouldn’t need regular sessions.
I was seeing a psychiatrist for a while, stopped for unrelated reasons, and now my med manager or primary doctor writes the prescriptions for my meds. I see a doctor once every 6 months, basically.
Now, I do have insurance, but for a minute I didn’t, and a visit cost about 200$, can’t remember exactly.
200$ every 6 months is fairly doable.
Good luck, though.
That is a very valid concern. Unfortunately I don’t have the answer you need.