I Was Tested for ADHD: Here's What to Expect

So recently I went in to get tested for ADHD, a diagnosis that I had suspected to be true for most of my adult life. From the struggles to focus on simple tasks, general forgetfulness, fidgeting and behavioral patterns that one could describe as "excitable", it all seemed to point to the signpost of ADHD.

But, to my surprise ( and relief ), I did not have ADHD.

So, what was it then? Was I just "quirky"? Was my personality just that volatile, ready to change on a hair pin? Or was something else at play?

The answer I was given: it's your anxiety.

The answer, despite the initial frustration I felt, made a whole lot of sense once the doctor laid out the facts for me on adults with "ADHD-like symptoms".

1. The symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) can and do mimic many aspects of ADHD.

- Trouble focusing

- Fidgeting

- Easily irritable

- Repetitive actions ( like skin picking or hair pulling )

2. Everything I was experiencing lined up with my GAD diagnosis, but not all of my symptoms matched with ADHD.

- Most cases of adults with ADHD have tell-tale symptoms as children. I had none.

- Despite having next to no social life, I didn't struggle to be social.

Now, I think it's worth saying here that, as recent studies have shown, you don't actually need any ADHD symptoms from childhood to develop ADHD in adulthood.

As cited in Medical News Today, "a 2016 study found enough evidence to conclude that ADHD in adulthood is not necessarily a continuation of childhood ADHD. Instead, adult ADHD and childhood ADHD may be two distinct syndromes."

This has led me to be mindful of the fact that despite the results of this ADHD test being negative, it doesn't mean that I can't still pursue other doctor's opinions who have more experience with ADHD in adults.

Now, I'm not here to discuss the difference between childhood and adult ADHD, as my knowledge is quite limited, BUT I figured I could tear down the smokescreen of testing as an adult to hopefully encourage you to reach out to your doctor if you have been asking similar questions!

So grab some tea, take a seat, and let's discover what it's like to be tested for ADHD as an adult!

To get tested for ADHD, you most likely will be visiting a specialist in the field. For me, I was lucky enough to be getting someone whose had more than 20 years experience in ADHD.

You will go through the normal routine when you first arrive. Fill out your paperwork, wait for your name to be called, and then you will be led to an exam room.

In the room, the nurse will start asking you some questions to get a baseline, but most importantly you will be getting a fun little stack of questionaries that will dive into several important topics.

The first ( at least for me ) was asking about my history of symptoms as both an adult and child.

Funny enough, I had a really difficult time filling out my childhood related questions, because many of the inquiries were things I had never thought about when I was a kid, nor had I reflected upon them as an adult. Stuff like how I interacted with my peers, or if I had trouble focusing. I was a kid, enough said, or so I thought.

Thankfully my father had come with me for the testing, so I kindly asked him for second opinions on questions I wasn't sure about.

The questions about symptoms in my adulthood were much easier to answer, not just because they were more recent memories, but because I had been observing my behaviors for quite a while ever since I had received my GAD diagnosis in college.

Then came the mental health questions, which I'm starting to suspect are part of any mental evaluation. If you are someone with depression like me, you've probably seen these dozens of times by now. "Within the last two weeks, on a scale of 1 to 10, how miserable are you right now?" ( Not actually a real question, but it kinda feels like this sometimes. xD )

After you finish, you will hand it over to the nurse who will turn it over to the doctor for them to look over while you move onto the next part of ADHD testing, the continuous performance test ( CPT )!

To me, this was the coolest part. You're moved to another room with a little laptop, a camera, a button, and a headband for you to wear.

You will be asked to sit while wearing the headband ( as still as possible ) and by using the button, activate it when you see a certain pattern or color appear on the screen.

( For me, I was to click the button every time I saw a blue circle while other shapes color combos flashed by, like red circles or blue squares! )

The purpose of this particular test is to measure three of the main symptoms of ADHD: hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity.

And I can say with utmost confidence that this is a pretty solid test to measure that!

I sat there for 20 minutes pushing that button like my life depended on it. I felt my brain going from nervous, to confident, to fatigued, and then straight to auto-pilot.

Once your twenty minutes are up, the results will be sent to the doctor - and along with the questionnaire you filled out - they will be used to determine your initial diagnosis.

Once the doctor came in, she sat me down and explained my results. Obviously in my questionnaire, I was struggling as an adult, but my childhood symptoms were non-existent and completely normal.

As for my CPT results, I was good at staying still and paying attention, but because of my timing on wrong answers, it was shown I could be a little impulsive, but it was within normal bounds.

After some back and forth questions and enlightening talk, I was sent on my way with a pat on the back and a "good luck!"

Not a big deal right? Kinda fun and interesting if you set aside the frustrations of ADHD symptoms ( or in my case, GAD symptoms ). I wish there was more to say, but it really was that simple!

I hope this little article relieves you of some anxiety if you have been on the fence about getting tested. There is nothing wrong with going even if you're not sure you have ADHD. In my case, I wanted to know for sure so that I knew the medication I was already on was the right one!

The journey to better mental health doesn't have to be taken alone. If you want some more insights from me, or to learn more about my journey, you can check out these articles below!