Nurse practitioners NPs are registered nurses who have earned master's or doctoral degrees in a specialty area of nursing. NPs with a specialty in psychiatry can evaluate and diagnose ADHD and other mental health conditions in children and adults.
An NP can also prescribe medication. The term "counselor" covers a broad spectrum of professionals who have specialized training in particular types of therapy. Licensed mental health counselors LMHCs and licensed professional counselors LPCs are qualified to complete initial assessments and provide a diagnosis of ADHD, but some refer patients to a psychologist or psychiatrist for a more in-depth evaluation or to prescribe medication.
However, only certain medical professionals can prescribe medication. These include physicians including psychiatrists, pediatricians, family doctors, and neurologists and nurse practitioners NPs.
Physician assistants PAs can also prescribe if they are working under the supervision of a physician. In addition to these professionals, there are others you can go to for ADHD treatment. While they are not qualified to prescribe medications, these experts can provide other forms of treatment:. Choosing the right professional to diagnose and treat your ADHD often begins with talking to your primary care physician.
Your doctor may be able to diagnose you, refer you to other professionals in your area, or direct you to other resources that may help. Find out who specializes in the treatment of ADHD in your area. While it would be convenient to have one professional who meets all of your needs, more often, people require a small team of professionals.
Each professional will give you the knowledge and the skills you need to excel. There are a number of things you should look for when seeking a healthcare provider. Questions you should ask include:. If you have narrowed it down to a few experts and still can't decide, go with the one with whom you feel most comfortable.
Having a good relationship with your doctor and health professional is beneficial for treating, managing, and living well with ADHD. It is also important to know when to look for a different professional if your current doctor or health professional is not meeting your needs. For example, you should consider getting a second opinion if you feel like your doctor does not listen to your concerns about your symptoms, medications, or side effects.
You may also want to look for another professional if you feel like you are not being provided enough information about your treatment options or about the potential side effects of different ADHD medications. Finding the right professional to diagnose ADHD can help you get the treatment that is right for you or your child. You might start by talking to your primary care physician or child's pediatrician who can refer you to an ADHD professional in your area.
For years, I struggled to keep on top of my mood, and the circumstances of lockdown have made this year at medical school particularly challenging for me. I have become even more aware of the stigma associated with long-term mental health conditions. Perfectionism is still rife in medical schools, but so is being different — medical schools are not factories. In the same way that not everyone will experience mental illness, not everyone with mental illness will experience it in the same way — one size does not fit all.
Medical students need options besides leaves of absence usually in the hope that time will heal all. My neurodevelopmental disorder is lifelong. Published: Monday 10 May We only need to observe the many patients who are forced to periodically increase their dosage if they want to concentrate.
This is because the body stops producing the appropriate levels of neurotransmitters that ADHD meds replace — a trademark of addictive substances. Second, there are many side effects to ADHD medication that most people are not aware of: increased anxiety, irritable or depressed mood, severe weight loss due to appetite suppression, and even potential for suicide.
But there are also consequences that are even less well known. For example, many patients on stimulants report having erectile dysfunction when they are on the medication. Third, stimulants work for many people in the short term, but for those with an underlying condition causing them to feel distracted, the drugs serve as Band-Aids at best, masking and sometimes exacerbating the source of the problem.
In my view, there are two types of people who are diagnosed with ADHD: those who exhibit a normal level of distraction and impulsiveness, and those who have another condition or disorder that requires individual treatment. I too often see patients who hope to excel on four hours of sleep a night with help from stimulants, but this is a dangerous, unhealthy and unsustainable way of living over the long term.
For my second group of patients with severe attention issues, I require a full evaluation to find the source of the problem.
Usually, once the original condition is found and treated, the ADHD symptoms go away. Richard Saul is a behavioral neurologist practicing in the Chicago area.
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