Where to get Diagnosis for ADHD

It’s good to have a choice. From your ice cream shop to your streaming service, most of us enjoy choice.

When it comes to getting an ADHD diagnosis, you have choices.

Option #1: Your family Doctor or Nurse Practitioner. 

You can schedule a visit with your family doctor to assess you and provide a diagnosis of ADHD. If you have a family doctor. If your doctor knows you well enough and feels comfortable doing that. And if you can get the time off work for an appointment.

Option #2: A Walk-in Clinic. 

You could try getting an ADHD diagnosis from a Doctor or Nurse Practitioner at a walk-in clinic, slashing weeks off your journey. The problem with that strategy is that walk-in clinics are designed for speedy provision of care for simple conditions. A worthwhile process of assessment and diagnosis takes time to conduct. Walk-in clinics are also watchful for patients who are seeking a diagnosis to get obtain medications that they will resell illegally.

Option #3: A Psychiatrist or Clinical Psychologist.

 
You can seek the services of a specialist. If you have ever made an appointment with any kind of specialist, you know that you will likely wait for months for your appointment, and the specialist will want to send the results to your family doctor, who may want to see you in-person before communicating the results. If you are an extremely patient person, this might be the option for you if you are looking for an ADHD diagnosis… someday. 

Option #4: A Specialized Clinic. 

There are now clinics that are staffed with specialized service providers who understand the need for quick, quality service. These clinics can take you from ADHD assessment to diagnosis to (if you choose) medication prescription and management. These clinics work with a Medical Doctor or Nurse Practitioner who is experienced in working in the area of ADHD. These clinics also feature certified ADHD therapists and coaches who will help you develop a customized set of strategies to live your best life with ADHD.

While there are some exceptions, most specialized clinics offer the public another choice, that between in-person and online services. Telehealth professionals will tell you that there are some conditions that are best treated in an in-person environment, since not all patients are expert in describing their own symptoms.

When it comes to most mental health services, online care is just as effective as in-person care for most clients and their service providers. During the pandemic practitioners such as psychotherapists were surprised to find no discernible drop in effectiveness moving from in-person to online services.

For ADHD, specifically, online provision of services is just as effective as in-person services for skilled practitioners. There are, however, some clients who for reasons of privacy and/or personal comfort that insist on in-person sessions. Ask your service provider if they can provide in-person services if that’s what you prefer.

You didn’t choose to have ADHD. You didn’t choose to live in a world that was designed by the non-ADHD majority. You didn’t choose the complications that ADHD sometimes brings to your mental health, your relationships, and your sense of self.

But you can choose how to access services, how to manage your ADHD, and how to live your best life with ADHD.

 Learn More : How to avail affordable ADHD Assessment in Ontario