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The Most Unprofessional Things I’ve Heard From Therapists: Part 1
“But you don’t seem like you have ADHD”
Have you ever had a therapist who tried to convince you that you didn’t really have a medical condition that you have already been diagnosed with? Share your stories in the comment section!
I was diagnosed with ADHD for the first time at the age of 8, after significant struggles related to sensory processing issues, focus, memory, and motivation. Stimulant medication changed my life and allowed me to function like a normal human being, both within and outside of school. One of my greatest regrets was deciding to stop taking Ritalin in my 20s to see if I could function without it. By the time I realized how much of a mistake this was, I was struggling not to fail out of college while my life outside of school was completely falling apart. By that point, I’d long lost the paperwork for my childhood diagnosis, and had no choice but to pay out of pocket for a new one so that I could get back on medication. Fortunately, I was able to get diagnosed for a second time before starting grad school.
Do you know what both of the people who diagnosed me had in common? They were both physicians with medical degrees and several years of clinical diagnostic experience, and were a hell of a lot more qualified to make that call than a…