Submitted by nomad on 12/22/2010.
Hello All,
I've called around for the initial ADHD treatment and am getting multiple quotes of around $700 for the first visit. Is this a typical figure? I've also noticed that the treatment might fall under the mental health section of the health insurance and is not covered by insurance. Do you know if the initial visit for diagnosis is usually covered by insurance?
For spouses, would you recommend a family member go to the visit with the ADHD person? I'm just afraid of something being forgotten or overlooked by the ADHD spouse. Any other tips or suggestions for initial diagnosis/doctors would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Nomad
Cost of Initial Diagnosis
Submitted by avie93309 on
Hi, Nomad!
My children's Psychiatrist suggested that I get evaluated, after all 3 were kids diagnosed with ADHD. Because there might be an off chance that I am.
It was covered by the insurance, after deductible and co-pays, of course. I had Blue Cross. I saw a Dr of Psychology and a Psychiatrist. They both told me I'm ADHD was prescribed Concerta. Didn't like the meds, but saw the therapist. Then relapsed and stopped going altogether.
This year, I'm with Kaiser. They made me see a Psychiatrist first, who then ref'd me to a Dr. of Psychology. Still the same outcome, I'm ADHD. It made me so depressed - I cried when I received the results (several pages but not as hard as when I received my daughter's - She's Bi-Polar)
Nope I didn't bring anyone with me when I went. Drs know what to look for. They gave me tests upon tests, even made me draw. It was like a 4-hr test! It's torture for an ADHD to be asked to sit and pay attention that long, so it will come out!
I guess, if you really are ADHD, regardless of the format of the test (long or short), you are! It's the other stuff that they need to zero in. Because you don't want to be misdiagnosed as ADHD when you are Bi-Polar. Some Bi-Polars are misdiagnosed as ADHD and that's very dangerous!
I hope it helps.
Best of luck,
Avie
Cost of Initial Diagnosis
Submitted by lorimc on
If $700 is accurate, forget it. I'm married to an ADD husband and have it myself. Of that I'm 100% positive. I know too much in the six years I've been married. It was a real eye-opener to why I have been the way I've been all my life. So if I had the money to get an official diagnosis, would I? Why? Validation? )If it isn't ADD, then I am truly going insane.) So I could take medication? I don't want that and honestly do not think it would help. What I would love and would be a huge help is to have someone volunteer to help me organize my life without criticism. I need to get rid of so much, just so the house is clean and I can find things, if nothing else. I have no help from my husband because he doesn't see it. My mother would like to help - if I do it her way. She doesn't understand that I need to organize my way so I can comprehend my own space. Why is it so difficult to get help for anything? I have neither the time or money to manage my life and my health. I sit here typing this ready to explode because I'm in pain and don't know where to turn for help. It never ends.
Start with your regular doctor, if you have one
Submitted by gigs26 on
Start with your primary care physician. Plenty of PCPs diagnose ADHD (in adults and in children), and if they're not comfortable making a diagnosis without a referral to a psychiatrist or other specialist, PCPs can help identify, or rule out, other possible causes of ADHD symptoms. My PCP explored several possibilities with me (including relationship stress, not enough sleep, depression, and thyroid issues); she decided she wasn't comfortable making a diagnosis of ADHD, but thought it likely enough that she referred me to an in-plan psychiatrist.
(I also had a very different experience getting diagnosed than what Avie described. The psychiatrist had me fill out one test/checklist (the DSM-IV checklist, I think), but most of the diagnosis consisted of talking; he asked a lot of questions about my relationships and relationship history, my strengths and weaknesses at work and my work history, my experiences in school, and my family history. So for me, getting diagnosed was probably the easiest part of being an adult with ADHD; it was much harder to recognize that I needed help, and it is much, much harder figuring out how to take on the challenges ADHD presents.)
We see a counselor (not a
Submitted by SherriW13 on
We see a counselor (not a psychiatrist) who had some kind of forms ... some I filled out, some my husband filled out ... and she charged us $40 for the eval. She sent them off somewhere. I don't know who these evals are being done by, or if the price difference is based on the level of the professional doing the eval, but we got an official diagnosis for $40 and the price of a counseling session (our insurance won't pay for her, so she gives us a 50% discount)