Think you’ve got ADHD? You might not, but you may still need help
The media attention to ADHD has brought out some amazing things for those who have been diagnosed. It has raised awareness of life-changing treatments, such as stimulant medication and behavioral therapy. It has shown the relief people feel after being diagnosed, more aware and accepting of who they are. Finally, it has beautifully highlighted their underlying strengths: their creativity and tenacity. These are all excellent things, but they are not limited to ADHD. I want to assure you that whatever your diagnosis, all of these things are possible for you.
If you have social anxiety, we have fantastic treatments; such as modern antidepressants or body-based therapies for emotional regulation. If you have a complex trauma or a personality disorder, I hope you feel the same validation that you are not alone. Whatever your diagnosis, I know you have strengths; you may be detail-oriented or compassionate. I know there are great things about you. Things to embrace and build on.
Loading
The current state of affairs is: notice you have problems, think it might be ADHD, and then be referred to a psychiatrist for a diagnosis. I suggest that all you need is to feel that there is a problem that significantly affects your life. That’s enough. You don’t need a label to seek help. I believe we are not just short on access to an ADHD diagnosis; we lack access to proper psychiatric care for all conditions.
Good psychiatric care is care that validates you, that offers effective treatments, that builds on your strengths. It is the care that sees the whole picture of you. It is care that is available; allows you to turn back, express doubt, say that things are not working, that things are still not right, that you need more help. It is the care that can change, that can revise the diagnosis and try a different treatment. It is care that gives you hope.
I encourage you, don’t fight for a diagnosis, fight for good care.
Paari Palaniswami is a mental health practitioner and digital mental health researcher.
More original opinions
Home Invasion: Former Victorian attorney general and now director of the Center for Innovative Justice, Rob Hulls, had his childhood home raided while everyone was asleep. He would like to meet the criminals and ask them why.
Enough with private schools: After a host of private school scandals, Jenna Price calls for defunding them all now and also for “examining the values these schools are teaching to an ever-increasing number of enrolled students.”
Death as a teacher: When Waleed Aly’s mother-in-law Jan lay dying, he found these last moments beautiful and poignant. “It is also one of the most enlightening. The moment of death takes our vast, complex lives and reveals them to be simple.