| Post a comment |
|
So, I've now been to a psychiatrist who includes in his list of specialities Adult AD(H)D.
I do not have ADD.
I have ADHD.
That whole loud, manic exuberance thing I get when I'm in a good mood/excited about something? One instance of my hyperactivity thing, apparently. There was much discussion involved in going through the diagnostic criteria (including me not being allowed to answer 6 of the 18 questions myself; this is why I was specifically instructed to bring along someone who knows me well, so the questions were directed at Chas, who came with me).
At the end of all this, it was concluded that I am definitely ADHD and should be given appropriate medication. However, because the appropriate medication is a heavily controlled substance by the rules of the Health Department, in addition to special forms for tracking the stuff I had to sign...
... I had to go to a drug screening, to prove I'm not just a junkie looking for speed.
My psychiatrist mentioned this in terms of me having to go get humiliated. Because this is that test where you have to give a urine sample... and be supervised while doing it.
Because we were in town and I'd been given a Clinipath referral thingie, we stopped by the pathologists at Wellington Train Station. The woman there was very, very nice, just treading the fine line between absolute professionalism and sympathy for a very awkward procedure. (She was also very, very quick to block the door when someone didn't see the sign she'd put on the door to say that the ladies' toilets were temporarily unavailable due to urine testing in progress and started to open the door, which, no.)
I discovered the hidden benefits of a short attention span when I got distracted from feeling freaked out that someone was (as unobtrusively as humanly possible) watching me pee by a thought that occurred to me and was able to complete the procedure handily. (Once you've given your little jar to the pathologist, you are allowed to close the door if you choose and complete your business in privacy. If you're paranoid, I imagine you might choose not to do this, so as to see the pathologist doesn't tamper with your sample.)
Afterwards, you sign a document saying you are satisfied that the process was conducted properly. This is because drug screening is a big freaking deal in a lot of cases - the pathologist mentioned things like having women who can't see their children unless they pass the drug screening. A portion of the sample is poured into a little vial to be kept as a referrer in case the result is called into question, even, and the vial and jar are sealed in front of you with stickers you and the pathologist both previously signed, then put into a bag which is *also* sealed like that, which is, in turn, put into an transport envelope that locks with a large padlock, and there are, I'm told, strict records of chain of custody of the envelopes...
Drug screening is Serious Business.
Me, I'm not that fussed. My test may come up positive for opiates and benzo-somethings - opiates because I sometimes take codeine for pain, and benzowhatsits because lately I occasionally take temazepam to try and help me sleep. Also on the list are cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines, none of which I'm even slightly worried about. The things I may come up positive for aren't an issue either, because it was already noted on the form that they may come up due to legitimate medications I'm taking. It's essentially a formality that will tell nobody anything that was not already known as a result of asking me what medications I take and whether I take any drugs. (He was going down a list, and I circumvented it by just saying I don't take any drugs other than my prescription medications we'd already discussed.)
But it's a procedure that must be completed, so completed it was. In all honesty it wasn't actually nearly as bad as I expected it to be - the pathologist I had was incredibly good at making it seem like really nothing at all, and observing in a non-freaky way.
I have another appointment with my psychiatrist next week at which I am to be supplied with Happy Brain Concentration Medications.
|
|
|
| Top of Page |
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios |
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}