I want get myself an official diagnosis on ADHD and an answer regarding whether I’m autistic.

Typically, a “10 minute test” takes me several hours. I spend a great deal of time contemplating the questions, filled with indecision. So I want to fill out the test before I even get to the psychologist’s office.

Which is why I plugged “official ADHD test” into a search engine, and got overwhelmed by the choices. And my main questions are:

  • do some websites offer a test they inaccurately describe as the official test? (If so, do those show up high on search results?)
  • do some websites offer the official test… and also augment the test with extra resources that help a cripplingly indecisive person answer more efficiently? (That would save me time.)
  • xkforce@lemmy.worldEnglish
    91·
    1 year ago

    I was officially diagnosed with ADHD three years ago.

    There is no one test to get diagnosed and you can’t self diagnose. Even your therapist can’t if they don’t have the training and experience to do so.

    ADHD diagnosis involves interviews with people that knew you when you were a child, any mental health professionals youve worked with and a series of tests measuring intelligence, executive function, self questionaires and how you interact with the tests and the people testing you. i.e that indecisiveness would be taken into account in a professional screening. You aren’t really being tested for ADHD or autism so much as trying to rule out alternative explanations.

    And its also why you shouln’t diagnose yourself with either of them despite what a lot of people think. Because sure it could be ADHD or autism but it could be a lot of other things that dont respond well to the same things that autism and ADHD do and you need people that actually know how to rule those things out or if it happens that you arent in the ADHD/autism tribes, figure out what tribe you actually belong to.

    • OwenEverbinde@lemmy.myserv.oneOPEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      that indecisiveness would be taken into account in a professional screening

      These words have been helpful to me. I kind of stopped worrying about it after reading this, and just started focusing on getting myself a referral and appointment. It’s ridiculously slow getting any kind of appointment through my healthcare provider (and I still haven’t seen them yet) but I appreciate not having to worry about “should I be preparing for this?” in the interim.

      • xkforce@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        I am glad that helped. But yes it also took quite a bit of time for my own assessment (months) just hang in there and hopefully youll get some answers and whatever support you need.