Diagnosing Your ADHD: Questions and Answers
How do I get an appointment for an adult ADHD Assessment?
The first step is to go to a primary healthcare provider and ask for a referral to my service. Primary healthcare providers include family physicians and nurse practitioners. They work in a few different settings such as Family Medicine Clinics, Walk-in Clinics, Urgent and Primary Care Clinics, and Online Clinics. Your primary healthcare provider must provide a complete referral and then fax it to my office. Please see the Referral Information for important details, including an Referral Form for consideration. Note: services do not include assessment/treatment for Autism or other mental health conditions.
What happens after the referral is sent to our office?
Once my office receives the referral from your primary healthcare provider, I review it to ensure it was accurately and fully completed. Please ensure that the referring primary healthcare provider includes your current email address as that is how my office will contact you. Your name is placed on a waiting list until appointment slots become available. My office then emails you a confidential Online Assessment Form for you to complete online. Completing the form usually takes at least 30 minutes. It is lengthy, tedious, and boring. IT IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO BE AS ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE WHEN FILLING IN THE FORM. Take your time. You can always stop, save in draft form, and return to the task after you have taken a break.
What happens after I complete the Assessment Form?
Once you have completed the Online Assessment Form, pause and congratulate yourself. It it an accomplishment to get this far. The hardest part is now done! The next step is for you to simply click a button and the form will confidentially be returned to my office.
After you submit the Online Assessment Form, send my office a separate email to: [email protected] notifying me that you have completed and submitted your form. My office will then email you an appointment date and time for our telehealth meeting.
After you submit the Online Assessment Form, send my office a separate email to: [email protected] notifying me that you have completed and submitted your form. My office will then email you an appointment date and time for our telehealth meeting.
How long will I have to wait to get an appointment for our telehealth meeting?
The wait-time for an appointment depends on a few variables such as; my office receiving the referral from your primary healthcare provider - complete with your email address, your return of the Online Assessment Form, your availability, and my office appointment availability. Presently, the first appointment is approximately 2 to 4 months after my office receives your completed Online Assessment Form.
What happens during our telehealth meeting?
Our telehealth meeting occurs either by telephone or video, your choice. During our meeting we discuss your issues related to the diagnosis of ADHD. Prior to our meeting I will have already reviewed all the documents in your file including the referral letter, your assessment form and any supporting documents. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and elaborate on the contents of your assessment form. I will ask you specific diagnostic-related questions and provide feedback as to if you meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. This meeting is no longer than 30 minutes in duration. If you meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, we have the opportunity to discuss ADHD treatment and then design a treatment plan specific to your needs. If you were previously diagnosed with ADHD, then the focus will be specific to your ADHD-related concerns.
What happens after our telehealth meeting?
After we conclude our telehealth meeting together, I immediately send your referring primary healthcare provider a detailed consultation report which includes specific treatment recommendations. It is suggested that you immediately book an appointment with your primary healthcare provider to review the consultation report and begin treatment as directed. My services do not include prescribing medications, or ongoing follow up appointments. Instead, I collaborate directly with your primary healthcare provider, offering telephone advise and support for your ADHD-related issues. Please note, this collaborative care agreement is optional, at the request of your primary healthcare provider.
Why are historical documents, such as elementary school report cards, part of the adult ADHD assessment?
The diagnosis of Adult ADHD is based on meeting certain criteria as indicated in the DSM-5 . One of the most important criteria is that “several symptoms (inattentiveness or hyperactive/impulsive) were present before the age of 12 years.” The reason for this criterion is because ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder which begins in childhood. Many conditions can cause “ADHD-like” symptoms including; head trauma, mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Finding evidence of childhood onset of ADHD symptoms helps to sort the cause of your current issues. One does not always need to have their elementary school report cards to establish a diagnosis of ADHD, but having them significantly increases the likelihood of obtaining a proper diagnosis.
How important is it to fill out the entire ADHD assessment form?
It is essential that you take the time to fill out the ADHD assessment form as accurately and as completely as possible. One of the most common reasons I am unable to make a diagnosis of ADHD is the lack of evidence of childhood (before age twelve) onset of symptoms. If you do not have elementary school report cards available, it is essential that you fully complete the section of the ADHD assessment form entitled CHILDHOOD SYMPTOM SCALE, as accurately as possible. See if you can have someone who knew you when you were a child to help you complete this section. If you do not have enough evidence of childhood onset of ADHD symptoms, I will not be able to make the diagnosis of ADHD. No exceptions.
I was previously diagnosed with ADHD, why do I need a full assessment?
If the referral from your primary healthcare provider did not include documents confirming your previously diagnosed ADHD, then we essentially have to start from the beginning. If they did include the relevant documents, you will receive a much shorter assessment form to complete prior to our meeting.
I currently take ADHD medicatioN. ARE my answers ON INTake Form be in regards to while medicated or not medicated?
Please answer all questions based on your CURRENT status... in this case, while on medications. We will sort out the differences, between medicated and not medicated, during our telehealth meeting.
My school requests proof that I was diagnosed ADHD. Do you provide that service?
Most postsecondary institutions in British Columbia have a "Centre for Accessible Learning" to assist with resources for adults diagnosed with ADHD. Here are a few local resource centres: UBC, SFU, Capilano University, BCIT, VIU, Royal Roads University, Camosun College and University of Victoria. In general, these centres help with the process of obtaining academic accommodations and financial support. Theses services first require that you provide their office with "documentation of disability" using the following forms;
1. Academic accommodations: Verification of Mental Health Disorder
2. Financial support through Student Aid BC: Appendix 8
Together we can complete these forms, If you have received a diagnosis of ADHD from my office. The cost of this service is covered under the BC Medical Services Plan, so patients do not have to pay any additional fees. Email me at [email protected] if you are interested in any of these services.
1. Academic accommodations: Verification of Mental Health Disorder
2. Financial support through Student Aid BC: Appendix 8
Together we can complete these forms, If you have received a diagnosis of ADHD from my office. The cost of this service is covered under the BC Medical Services Plan, so patients do not have to pay any additional fees. Email me at [email protected] if you are interested in any of these services.
Do you provide ongoing treatment?
Simply put, there are not enough healthcare professionals offering timely and affordable adult ADHD assessments or treatment recommendations. As a result adult ADHD is underrecognized, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. In order to meet this demand, my services include adult ADHD assessments and I collaborate with your primary healthcare provider so that they can directly provide you with specialized services and I can devote my clinical time to addressing this unmet demand. Having said all that, if you require a reassessment, your primary healthcare provider can refer you again - after six months - for another meeting. You will once again need to complete a form prior to our meeting, but this reassessment form is much less involved and is easier to complete.
Why is this process used, rather than simply scheduling an in-person meeting?
Generally speaking, an ADHD assessment requires multiple visits in order to make or confirm a pre-existing diagnosis as well establish a comprehensive treatment plan. The traditional assessment model takes at least four weeks and multiple visits to complete, in contrast to this model which drastically reduces the time frame down to just one or possibly two visits. By reducing down the time frame, your wait time to assessment is also significantly reduced. Telehealth services offer convenience for out-of-town and otherwise indisposed patients.
How confidential is this process?
All my online resources and services are secure, meeting the requirements of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia and the Government of British Columbia. These services include: email, fax, calendar, appointment reminders, medical records, and telehealth communications.
How much do these services cost?
NO COST, as I am a medical specialist and your BC Medical Services Plan (MSP) pays for these services.
