question about diagnosis and treatment

https://www.prosperhealth.io/

they provide assessments and/or therapy fully online and the pricing is hugely discounted compared to many in-person mental health providers. for example, for my state, psychologytoday.com provider directory is about double the price on avg of those in Prosper.

if your state has health care coverage for low/no income people, the cost could potentially be reduced to almost zero out-of-pocket. as with everything, proceed cautiously, YMMV

edit: do not confuse with https://prosperhealth.ca/ (a Canadian rehab center)

I found a psychiatrist who not only had experience with ADHD but also had it. He pointed it out to me in my late 30s and before that I didn't really ever consider it.

If you want medication, you'll need a psychiatrist. But if you just want evaluation and therapy then a therapist is enough (and a little cheaper if no insurance). I will say mental health providers are generally spread pretty thin these days, so expect a waiting list to get in with a good one.

Anyway, make sure it's one who has experience with ADHD because a lot do not and tend to discount it or default to assuming people are just trying to get drugs.

Formal eval is generally gonna be expensive; you should look towards figuring out what public programs you qualify for, and then work towards getting diagnosed after you have coverage.

Instead, what you can do in the short term is go to a primary care doctor, tell them exactly what you put in your post body, and ask if they would be willing to prescribe any non-stimulant medications to help manage your cognitive symptoms while you work towards getting coverage and specialist care. Very few will say no, but if they do, it’s a reflection of what they consider their wheelhouse rather than you asking anything untoward.

I feel your pain. Im in a similar situation but what I really want to find out is if I have this variation on dyslexia someone mentioned here. Its initial thing was about hitting things when you pass them by which I do pretty regularly and have done my whole life. Along with tripping, and I am sorta clumsy with tying and buttoning and such (I have so often had a scenario when im doing it in someones prescense and they get annoyed and do it for me). I do this thing when parking where I am adjusting again and again. My dad used to do it to. knocking things over or literally not setting them on a surface but on the surface edge. Always bad at sports. Had othopedic shoes because of my gait but now I wonder. Can't draw to save my life. Things that are hard to explain with breathing and posture. But then there are other things. I distinctly remember when I learned how to read because I was having trouble and was put in the dummy group. My older sister was forced to help me at home which made her angry at me. When I learned to read it was all of a sudden and I became an avid reader. It was like all of a sudden it just made sense. I talk to others and they remember a gradual process of learning to read. I don't think anything can really be done about it but man it would make so much sense to know.

See if you qualify for Medicaid. That's what it's there for.

Apply for state benefits ASAP. The application is a lot of paperwork, but they should cover what you need.