Seeking Professional Help

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I have never had any sort of professional help for my condition. When I was younger my mother brought me to many doctors becuase I was always complaining of being tired and was hypersensitive. All I was told was that I was prefectly healthy by pediatricians. This is during the 80s when mental health was not as prevalent. This sort of thing eventually lead to a life of rediculously low self esteem.

Now I am wanting some kind of help. My ADD is so bad I cant even make it through an entire book. Or even a page without rereading it a few times. This has never changed up into my forties where I am at now. Now I am just overwelmed with learning I have Aspergers. I do not even know where to go. I tried to get a Kaiser appointment but all I get with them is a #5 dollar weight and blood pressure check and then they send me off to get my ears checked. Im not kidding. That cost another 35. Blood test cost 300 for results. Its insane. I feel that by the time I get any treatment or even someone just to talk to about Aspergers I will be out a thousand dollars. Then Ill get charged per visit and more for test. All on top of $400 a month.

What are you guys doing? Is anyone getting Mental Health Services?

First of all there is nothing wrong with getting professional help. I used to be one of these Billy badasses that would suggest doing it alone but mostly because it would be cheaper than paying someone to help fix your problems. Now I'm not so sure and I'm going to get some soon, probably after I move. I don't know how much I'll be able to afford but at this point it does not matter because I need it.

Ask for a referral specifically for mental health. To speed things up, say you have feelings of dying and hopelessness, but do not have a plan to commit suicide. This will allow them to see urgency, yet also not get you locked up in a mental hospital. If you are seeing a GP, they should have referred you by now. This is odd. I would write down what you need to say so you don't forget. It helps to throw in a bit of crying if you can (I'm sure you feel like this anyways because you are very frustrated). Kaiser is pretty good, so I'm really surprised they have done this to you. Consider writing a grievance to Kaiser about the lack of mental health services when you needed them.

It sounds like you need both psychotherapy and ADHD medication RIGHT away. I also have ADHD. I will hopefully be going back on medication. Write a list of your symptoms and stress how much it is prohibiting functioning within your life. Express that you have been like this for years and are now in need of medication to help due to nothing else working. I would honestly think getting on meds is your first priority. A stimulant might or might not work. If they work for you, though, they will work very fast. If you need other medication, they will take a few weeks to work, which is why I stress this seems like a first priority. If you are very desperate and don't mind, you could always go to a mental hospital (stress the part about hopelessness and feeling like you are at the end of your road because you can't get help and you don't know what you would do). It's usually a minimum stay of a week, average stay is probably 2 weeks. They will put you on medications right away, especially if you have a list of clear cut symptoms and already have a diagnosis. If you choose this option, stress to the psychiatrist you feel hopeless BECAUSE of your ADHD symptoms, not because of clinical depression (unless you actually are having symptoms of it, in which case you might want to consider an anti-depressant). Only choose this route if you know you can advocate on your own behalf, because otherwise they might just put you on way too many medicines.

Do you have health insurance through Kaiser?
Kaiser has a separate system for mental health services, and you should make an appointment through that system instead of the regular medical system.