Wait what did I come into this thread for again? Oh yeah, ADHD!

Oh my goodness, finally got a psychiatry referral (albeit telehealth) that may be able to be booked in 2-3 weeks. Of course, after years of messing up I'm now getting derailed by thoughts that nothing will come of it, that I've done something wrong in the referral process, that I won't attend the appointment on time, that my GP won't go for "shared care" after treatment plan and that there will be another hurdle that I should have foreseen and it'll be my fault. I just want to be able to finish something, especially as seeing the dishes never get done

Ah @R2RSD2 so many of us with mental health issues lurrrve to derail ourselves with thoughts of 'I've done something wrong'. I love the idea of naming that little voice in my head. Making into a naughty character and telling it to get lost. That's great that you finally have an appt and I'm thinking it's going to go just fine. Try telling that little voice to sit down, and close its nasty mouth. If you go over the referral process in your head and tick off all the things you were meant to do, there's no reason this will not work out.

Hanami 💮

@R2RSD2 oh I know these feelings so well!! I had the same thing leading up to my diagnosis. And even now that I have it, I feel imposter syndrome over it.

Just take it one step at a time - and you've got past the first big hurdle of getting an appointment! Take a breathe and we'll sit with you for any hurdles that come up next ❤️

@R2RSD2 Honestly, I don't know anyone with ADHD who hasn't experienced some kind of imposter syndrome - especially in regards to diagnosis!

So much so that I found this pic about it ages ago, and frequently send it to my mates who are going through the process of getting diagnosed to gently remind them - it is totally normal to feel this way, and regardless of the outcome your experiences are still very legit!

Hi all,

@R2RSD2I can totally relate to the frustration of only psychiatrists being able to prescribe ADHD medications. Even once you have an initial prescription you generally have to keep going to the psych for repeats, which is potentially very expensive even outside all the waiting. All thanks to some idiots that abuse stimulants.

Oh no, @Former-Member - that ADHD tax. I have rarely forgotten appointments, I'm so utterly paranoid about doing that I have a million reminders and failsafes. Thankfully didn't get charged for any of the appointments when I did stuff up. Forgetting to reply to friends is a thing, I'm okay with texts, but if they call and I don't have the good sense to leave the notification up, I might remember a week later. They are forewarned that's gonna happen with phone calls! (Definitely not alone with that sort of stuff, @maddison!)

@Jynx- I've done my share of the awkward overcompensating, too. If you drive, sitting in the car is an option before going in, done that plenty of times to reduce awkwardness. Oh, and there's the thing where I overcompensate, then see I'm about to leave an hour before I have to, decide to do a thing that takes 1/2 an hour to make it less weird, the thing ends up taking an hour and I've lost track, then I'm off in a mad flurry and running late anyway. Aaargh!

@Shaz51- tell me about it! My hubby takes literally about 20 different meds and has constant hospital appointments, also having possibly worse executive dysfunction than I do. Keeping track of that is a nightmare! (I do semi-okay with his stuff, the pay off is forgetting my own on the regular.)

AFK.

@AFK @R2RSD2 re: medications - Some GPs are licensed to refill your scripts! I think it's not very well known, and certainly not advertised. But my GP (who is not bulk-billing mind you; like I do get a rebate but the appt still costs money... though $30 is a LOT cheaper than seeing a pdoc!) can basically 'refresh' my scripts every few months. I get three repeats per visit. If however I needed to change the amount per repeat, I would need to see pdoc again; GPs can only refresh the script, not alter it.

Every time I do so, my GP basically has to call someone (medicare I assume) to get authorisation and I don't think all GPs have this licence, but it's definitely worth checking! Has saved me LOTS of $$$

Thanks @Jynx, I think that's what this particular psychiatrist is trying to encourage - so my GP has to sign a "consent form" for shared care. From my appt with the GP the other day, I don't think they realise that this is an option, so I'm a bit scared that they'll freak out and not sign the consent, and then I won't know what to do.

It sounds like a much better way - a bit more like dealing with diabetes

omg goooodnessssss I'm listening to this "Ologies" podcast on ADHD and learning so much.

The person being interviewed shared Dani Donovans comics.

I'd love to hear which comic people relate to most @Jynx @R2RSD2 @AFK @maddison @Shaz51

I feel like there are so many on this page but this might be one I really really really relate to

Sending big hugs to everyone!

@Former-Member - I love Dani Donovan's stuff. Can I choose all of the above? Maybe the "forgive yourself" comic is my favourite

Meanwhile, I feel like I've had a rough day - my GP won't consent to getting the permit to prescribe stimulants in a shared care arrangement, so the referral I had to a psychiatrist who could see me in 2-3 weeks is kaput. They want to send me somewhere else with a minimum 3 month wait. Felt like there was light up ahead and it's gone pretty dark. The thought of ringing around for a new GP feels overwhelming - like "hi, fancy prescribing me some stimulants after writing me a referral to psychiatrist who can actually see me?" might not be a great opener.

I really don't like my brain today. Still. Could be worse. Could have been a corgi

Thanks for sharing these @Former-Member

I found three I could really relate too

I feel like this cycle of procrastination describes so much of me.

It's so funny to see things that I thought were 'only me'!! Im not generally late or loud, though everything else on this is exactly me.

Really cool art xx thankyou.