Getting diagnosis in a few days. Wondering what it's like

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So I'm going to a specialist for a full evaluation.

She mentioned dexterity testing what is this? and is this normal?

What else should I expect?

What was it like when for you?

American answers preferred but whatever.

I had my diagnosis in the U.S., with neurologists, psychologists, and psychiatrists all involved, plus EEGs and MRIs to provide more information.

A neurological exam is fun. Similar to the game Simon Says, the neurologist asks you to stand on one foot, then the other; close your eyes and bring your hand to your nose; flex fingers and feet, and many other gestures to test neurological function. You may also get a tuning fork in each ear (which led to the discovery I have perfect pitch, whatever that's worth).

Mostly you get questions. Lots of questions about your work, social, and personal life, and lots of questions about your history in each area. Your doctor(s) may also want to talk to family and close friends to get perspective on you, and will also want to see any relevant medical history (in my case that had to do with prior psychiatric diagnoses, and the EEGs and MRIs mentioned above).

The process in my case took a couple of visits to conclude, and I could have had more psychological or neurological testing if I'd wanted and been willing to pay for it (my insurance wouldn't).

You'll learn a lot about yourself, regardless of the diagnosis. Hope it goes well.

Wow...I didn't get any cool EEGs and MRIs. I feel cheated.


Expect a lot of questions, some in the form of long multiple choice questionnaires (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory), some in interviews, chances are you'll get to play the Rorshach Inkblot guessing game, do free-association stuff (always hard for me - makes me feel I'm supposed to guess the correct answer), timed tests arranging colored blocks, I can't remember the rest. Takes many hours, spread out over a few days, but its not unpleasant (I actually found it fascinating fun). A little bewildering at moments, but they don't make you drink chalky liquids and stick you inside a buzzing machine (well, if you get a fancy-schmancy MRI, maybe).

I can't speak for anyone else, since it seems different experts approach the testing process differently, but after the tests were all over, I had to wait a week for the psychologist to evaluate all the results, and come back for a sort-of exit interview, where he went over the results and explained his conclusions to me. Mostly stuff I had already figured out on my own.

lab workup to eliminate other possible problems

neural evaluation

and several evaluations by a psychiatrist and a psychologist.

Do they ask personal questions like
"What makes you angry?"
Anythin like that?


I really hate psych doctors they piss me off and I'm always scared they'll try to have me commited for no reason.

There was nothing like that when I was diagnosed. There was no attempt to commit me, no pressure for me to go on meds, and little interest in my current emotional state, unless I offered.

Willard: Yes, the MRI was a lot of fun, and I have a copy of my entire scan. The EEG wasn't fun, since it provoked a seizure (which was the point of that test, but still).

Dexterity testing means testing your fine & gross motor skills...tieing laces, doing up buttons, riding a bike etc. I'm not sure how they will test you though as when I got my diagnosis I wasn't tested but was just asked if I could do those sorts of things.

I was asked a lot of questions, mainly about how school was like for me & about my interests. I also filled out questionnaires and I remember one was to either rule in or out a suspected mood disorder but I can't remember what the rest were about. My mum was interviewed & asked questions about my childhood, how I was growing up & how I am now. I'm not sure what she was asked specifically because I wasn't in the room at the time.

This was done by a psychiatrist.