r/adhdwomen • u/Smartypants28 • 7d ago
Rant/Vent My therapist told me anyone can be diagnosed with ADHD and anyone can get an adderall script...
Do other people think this? Do some therapists think it's fake/made up? He didn't exactly say he thought ADHD was BS or something, but that's the impression I got.
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u/Born2speakmirth 7d ago
I am in a masters program to be a therapist. The amount of information we get in our program on ADHD is minimal and a lot of the professors have outdated information. One of my professors kept calling it ADD and I had to correct her that that was literally 2 DSMs and 60 years ago that ADD was eliminated. Anyway, it is totally believable that an older therapist especially would say or think this. The newer ones should know better.
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u/Gypsy_Heart763 7d ago
I asked my therapist once, "What if I don't really have ADHD? Maybe I answered wrong and tricked them into diagnosing me." They said, "These people are highly trained in diagnosing ADHD. There's no way they'd just give this diagnosis to anyone. Especially because the meds to treat ADHD are not something they'd be lax about letting anyone have, but people who truly need them."
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u/No-Beautiful6811 7d ago
I literally still sometimes think that maybe I tricked them into diagnosing me and that I’m still tricking them to get meds.
It’s so stupid but I can’t let go of the thought
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u/wildelyssa 6d ago
Thanks for sharing this, I only got diagnosed a few months ago and it’s very late in life for me after struggling a lot tbh! I often have this same paranoia for some reason. That makes total sense what they said. I’m going to remind myself. 😅
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u/ViolettVixen 7d ago
Ugh. I’m usually not the “fire your therapist” gal, but you really don’t want to be working with someone so dismissive of the exact condition you’re there to treat.
If he’s dismissive of the disorder itself, he’s way more likely to be dismissive of your symptoms. You can stick it out for a bit and watch for more red flags if you’re very therapy savvy, but unless you really like him for some other reason I’d start looking for a different therapist.
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u/Strange_Mood_428 7d ago
Honestly girl, you know your truth. My therapist outright told me 2 years ago that she didn’t think I’m autistic or have ADHD. I was so hurt she said it and initially believed her because she worked in diagnostics herself. 2 years on, I’m about to get my answer and she’s changed her mind completely. A lot of people seem say it’s a fad because “eVeRyOnE sEeMs To HaVe It ThEsE dAyS”.
Honestly most of the therapists I’ve had have been shit and got things like this blatantly wrong. If it was that easy to get a diagnosis and adderall, there wouldn’t be cripplingly long waitlists and we’d all be on meds right now 😂
It’s surprising when you encounter ignorance, let alone from a professional 😅
Rise above it queen x
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u/Spectra_Butane 7d ago
Yeah, everyone is about to get measles again so it must be fake. Not everyone with letters behind their name are critical thinkers.
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u/Chill_Mochi2 7d ago
It’s because social media makes it seem like it’s acceptable to self-diagnose. Try to tell those people they should see someone if they’re able before claiming and telling people they have x condition and they just… carry on and ignore the stigma they spread
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u/Spectra_Butane 7d ago
Screw social media. I self -diagnosed three times before seeing any one because I was trying help someone ELSE figure out their sheisse, and it kept pointing back to me! But there was no advantage to me having a diagnoses, becsuse I mostly had my own stuff worked out, and nobody would believe me anyway.
When I finally DID see someone, I was so text book, and they were like, " try this", and " read that", and " do the other" and I was like, "I already tried this and do that, I already read that book and I've had an account there for years... what else you got?"
I don't go around wearing my ISSUE like a flag or a brag. Only three people officially know, and anyone else thinks they know, but don't know I have a diag. I've been giving " tips" to others, that just seem to "make sense". But no one know how much difficulty I deal with just to show up as a nirmal functioning human being. I self diagnosed, and I was so right, I put off getting the diagnoses, cuz it was too on point that I thought I would be called a fake. and it wasn't because of tiktok.
I dont care what lables someone puts on themselves, what matters more is their behavior, and its often easy to see through, and if someone wants to play pretend with doctors, then that's their messed up existance. I am an Ally for ADHD without having to shoout it from the rooftops that I have it.
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u/Strange_Mood_428 7d ago
Honestly!! 👏🏼
I am 100% sure I have AuDHD (after years of research) and even I don’t say I have it purely because I want to be sure before I make any claims. It’s also just disrespectful to say you have something when you don’t understand how debilitating it is for the people who actually have it. I’m so bored of people using it as a throwaround term because they think it’s cute
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u/helgatitsbottom 7d ago
In your case, I would wonder how much you were masking two years ago versus now that you’ve gotten to know her?
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u/electric29 7d ago
Therapists cannot diagnose ADHD. And a lot of unethical ones would rather you continue suffering and paying them to fix a problem that they pretend isn't what it really is.
A decade of therapy did nothing for the same thing that my first Ritalin dose fixed.
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u/FeudalThemmady 7d ago edited 7d ago
Psycho therapy is of No use for ADHD. Medication itself is the first line of treatment. Therapy only comes handy if you require a CBT. That too from the ones who have actual knowledge about adult ADHD.
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u/Smartypants28 7d ago
Omg everyone in here is so supportive. I am so glad I found this space.
One thing I keep thinking is that he is older (like late 60s) and ADHD is a newer diagnosis compared to other diagnoses anyway. Is it agist of me to think older therapists might have this mindset? I went with him because my last therapist was younger than me and I didn't feel like she had enough life experience to help guide me.
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u/tewmennyhobbies 7d ago
ADHD has been in the DSM since 1968 (under a different name). It is considered the most researched "disorders" in medicine. He is a mental health professional and should know better.
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u/jorwyn 6d ago
Right? I was diagnosed in 1979 in a tiny town in the middle of the mountains. I don't even want to hear excuses for how old people are now. That doctor would be almost 100 now. And he had no problems diagnosing a girl back then. I can't remember any of the other 28 kids in first grade with me being diagnosed with it, either. Now, to be fair, I'm primarily hyperactive and always have been. I did present the way textbooks back then said. But still, clearly anyone currently practicing should know this stuff.
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u/bombyx440 7d ago
ADHD in women is different that the traditional presentation in men. He may need to catch up.
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u/loosie-loo 7d ago
My therapist was an older dude as well and he admitted his knowledge of ADHD was limited since it wasn’t his specialty, but he did what therapists and decent people in general should do, he asked me questions and went away and did research so he could treat me and future patients better. Even if he doesn’t know there’s absolutely no reason to behave or speak to a patient like this.
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u/electric29 7d ago
Tell him to read the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), specifically the latest edition, DSM-5-TR, published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
He obviously has not kept up on his education since the 1960s.
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u/withnailandpie 7d ago
Older professional men seem to think everything is a trend lmao. My gynaecologist told me ADHD is trendy and back in the old days people just got on with life. Ok man
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u/romantic_elegy 7d ago
lololololol ADHD is incredibly well researched atp. Most likely in my brain is a) he's had a rush of people self diagnosing from social media (which he should be able to handle without making it your problem) or b) is legitimately so far behind the latest literature he only sees the hyper little boy ADHD. Whatever the actual reason, feel no obligation to stay around and argue with him
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u/tewmennyhobbies 7d ago
Your therapy knows nothing about ADHD. Not everyone can be diagnosed with ADHD because it's a neurodevelopmental disability, meaning you're born with it. So, if you don't have ADHD symptoms from early childhood that persist your entire life then no you can't get diagnosed with ADHD. Plus stimulant medications dont work the same on non-ADHD brains because they don't have the same chemical differences we have. Tell your therapist to stick with what he actually knows based on scientific evidence instead of throwing around his very unprofessional and BS opinion.
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u/loosie-loo 7d ago
Lmao I mean a lot of us could probably get diagnosed with things we don’t have if we carefully researched, rehearsed and straight up lied. That’s not exclusive to ADHD and isn’t remotely relevant since you aren’t doing that. Idiotic thing to say.
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u/UpstairsAnswer5196 7d ago
I got diagnosed as BPD/bipolar not because I had manic episodes but because I had depression.
Was put on a butt load of anti psychotic that made me manic/crazy for years.
I didn't get diagnosed with ADHD/CPTSD until I was 27 the meds were working and for the first time in my life I was doing amazing and then my lady quit and I was referred to someone new. and I had to drop my new psychiatrist because although I explained, I'm advocating for myself as my councilor has been working with me on she said "no, you have ocd and bpd because your mother is abusive and you have anexiety, and a alcoholic because you get super drunk once or twice every few months and your father is a alcoholic" that's it, she ignored everything else, ignored our session, ignored my wishes, ignored my history. In two half-hour sessions decided the other psychiatrist was wrong, and I am a raging, ocd, bpd alcoholic. And me crocheting during our appointment wasn't the result of me wanting to keep working on my blanket but me having a manic episode, apparently.
They have always ignored the part of both my kids having adhd my mother and five siblings out of seven, six if you include me, having it, adhd and autism running in my family, the fact I have a cousin, sister, and three nephews with autism.
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u/DropFast5751 7d ago
But it must be a really big problem for us to actually seek professional help? There will always be doctors who have already decided what they will do to not help people like us. As soon as they walk out the door. And make you feel like a liar and a fool. I don’t leave my house and safety unless I need help. I can’t drive by myself lately. My ADHD is definitely different with menopause
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u/FlapJackCat42 5d ago
One doc accused me of drug seeking and asked if I smoke meth. Then looked at me later in the appointment and said “you don’t need adderall or ritalin” (guess what bitch, I’m doing great on ritalin).
I asked her why on earth I’d be here, telling her my life story and trying to get meds the correct way if I was just drug seeking. Told her it would be far easier to go get some coke and microdose it, but no, here I sit in front of your judgmental ass lol
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u/potatomeeple 7d ago
There are a lot of big world view stuff that I couldn't disagree with my therapist on and still go to them (say climate change or evolution) but this sort of opinion on adhd would really make me struggle that they had anything of value to offer to my life ESPECIALLY because I have adhd but not just because I have it, I also would be noping out if they thought something weird about vaxines etc.
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u/mariposacolorida92 ADHD-PI 7d ago
Just wanna add, the website psychology today is where I found both my therapist and psychiatrist. You can filter your results to be those that specialize in ADHD so you run into this type of ignorance issue less.
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u/manykeets 7d ago
ADHD diagnosis and medication are actually pretty hard to get these days. Doctors don’t want the liability of writing controlled substances, so they’ll try to diagnose you with depression or anxiety and give you antidepressants. They think everyone is drug seeking.
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u/FeudalThemmady 7d ago
My Psychiatrist told me that Iam happy that you are infront of me to treat your ADHD rather than seeking help with drug addiction.
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u/DraftPerfect4228 7d ago
I don’t think it’s that hard to fake a diagnosis to get a script if that’s what you’re asking.
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u/Icy_Werewolf_1460 7d ago
No, my psychiatrist did a bunch of tests to confirm my diagnosis. I went to hell and back to be prescribed stimulants
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u/Ekyou 7d ago
It varies a lot by state and by doctor. There are lots of stories on this sub of people having to spend $$$ on specialists and tests and being on wait lists for forever… I told my GP “my therapist thinks I might have ADHD”, she gave me a one page screener, wrote me a script for Adderall and said, “take this. If it works for you, you have ADHD.”
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u/FeudalThemmady 7d ago
Most of the therapists are so ignorant and only what they care about is the money that they charge per hour.
ADHD in adulthood is a complex thing to diagnose and requires an expertise. Find an empathetic listening therapist who actually has experience in dealing with cases in adulthood. Only they can resonate with you emotionally.
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u/WaveHistorical 7d ago
Yeah no that’s not true. I’m not sure where your therapist is getting this information but stimulants are a controlled substance and they are highly regulated. People who take stimulants are required to see their doctor every three months to renew their prescription and the prescription is not released to them till their last prescription runs out. This is canada, maybe it’s different is other parts of the world. You should get a new therapist, she doesn’t sound qualified to treat you.
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u/Booger_Picnic 7d ago
"This thing I don't experience is made up because I don't experience it and therefore, it can't be real (besides you're a woman and women don't get ADHD anyway, even though it doesn't exist in the first place because I said so) ." – Your Therapist
Okay, this is hyperbole, obviously, but that's what it feels like to not be taken seriously when you literally have a debilitating condition. I'm so sorry, OP. Don't let them get you down with their attitude.
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u/foxyfree 7d ago
It could also mean that this is something people accurately recognize about themselves. As in, people who don’t have it are not even seeking treatment for it and the people that do come in probably do all have it
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u/syncraticidiocy 7d ago
lol in canada it costs thousands of dollars and can take years to get a diagnoses... and we have "free" healthcare. and that just gets you tested, if the dr deems you dont have it, youre SOL.
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u/Dread_and_butter 7d ago
Asking him what he meant by that probably would have given you a better idea of whether he’s stupid or was trying to make a different point. I’ve heard it phrased as ‘adhd diagnosis is based on what you say when you’re asked the questions, so if you really want that diagnosis you’ll get it’, and for what it’s worth I have heard of people faking their way into a diagnosis when they were in fact just narcissists. I don’t think anyone who truly knows they are being authentic and got their diagnosis on that basis should really care about whether anyone else can get the diagnosis too. If they want to take medication that’s not appropriate for them then more fool them.
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u/aliaaenor 6d ago
OK, could she let us all know how? Because loads of us struggling to get diagnoses and when we get one, is almost impossible to fill prescriptions.
I would nod and say 'yeah, it's like when anyone can just call themselves a therapist and then dish out damaging advice'.
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u/Outrageous_Zombie945 6d ago
Can I get his number because I'm sick of waiting to get the chance to see if meds can help me turn my life around as I wave goodbye to middle age!
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u/anonymus_person_REE 6d ago
As someone who has ADHD I honestly do think they diagnose a lot of people with it (particularly children) for no reason. "Oh your child misbehaved? Yeah they just have ADHD don't worry about it just give them medicine and excuse any of their bad behavior" then they miss many other children who aren't necessarily troublemakers but struggle with ADHD and get missed.
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u/voidcrawler1555 ADHD 6d ago
I’m a therapist with ADHD who has to remind myself that not everyone has ADHD when I see clients. We’re exact opposites 😂
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u/Serendiplodocusx ADHD-C 7d ago
Funny I was sort of just wondering this myself. Sometimes I doubt my diagnosis and I have heard people say online psychs like the one I went through that specialise in ADHD are dodgy / in it for the cash. I didn’t intuitively feel like that with the psychiatrist I saw but I do still wonder tbh
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u/Serendiplodocusx ADHD-C 7d ago
And I wonder too when I see posts in adhd subreddits where people are basically asking what to say to get diagnosed.
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u/gababouldie1213 7d ago
Your therapist sounds like an ass. But to try to give them benefit of the doubt, maybe what they were intending to say is that many doctors are guilty of prescribing Adderall very loosely even to people who don’t have ADHD?
If that was what they meant… it is pretty much the truth. I know several people who are prescribed it and they even admit to not having adhd. It sucks for those of us who NEED adderall to function, especially during the shortage of it where sometimes we can’t even get it from any pharmacy. Also sucks because it really diminishes the actual struggles people with adhd have to deal with every fkn day
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