The Time They Thought I had A.D.D.

I had a MISERABLE first year of college.

I moved back and started going to WWU, and I called up the good ole doc, and got a referral to see a psychiatrist to see just what was going on in my poor little brain.

Now, I am not a pet person especially, but I mean, dogs are cute and fine.

BUT. maybe if you are working with people who obviously have a lot of angst and anxiety in their lives, you could not assume they are all dog people, too.

Perhaps I should have asked the receptionist if the psychiatrist I was visiting would bring a dog into her practice? Was it my bad? Do most people ask this? Hm. I had no idea. :)

So I go to the appointment and am greeted by her dog. In the office building. Whatev. I can handle it :) I pet it, say the obligatory "oohh, what a good puppy you have." Blah, blah, blah.

The appointment goes on, we do whatever a doctor does during the initial appointment and we come to the conclusion I might have ADD.

Me? I was speechless. I was honor roll all high school, got a scholarship, LOVED school, took AP classes... pretty much a nerd when it came to school. I got a 4.0 freshman year of college and I was ADD? Umm... okay?

After more eduction, I learned that my problem with attention could be responsible for why I always felt anxious. Interesting? I think so. Me? A college girl who almost joined a sorority and had a boyfriend and got a 4.0 was ADD?

Got my prescription for adderall, did my followup appointments and went on my merry little way.

I think the only thing my adderall did for me was that I could AMAZE my college roommates by being able to sit in the middle of the living room with like 7 other people all talking and laughing and watching TV and listening to music and COMPLETELY zone it all out and type away furiously on my laptop doing homework. Like seriously, it was amazing. :)

So I kept taking the meds and had to tell cute older college boys that 'no' they could not buy some of my adderall off me when finals came around.

The only problem with this appetite suppressing, focus-enhancing pills? I WAS STILL SOO ANXIOUS.

Come to find out, I got a new doctor who told me that for people who in fact ARE NOT A.D.D., these meds MAKE THE PROBLEM WORSE!

So this whole time? This adderall was making me MORE and MORE anxious.

Did I talk to my old psychiatrist about this? Nope. Couldn't. Found out she closed her practice and got her license revoked because she was drinking on the job. Reassuring? Not so much.

Moral of the story? Unless you are an animal lover and perhaps request a doctor who brings pets to your appointments, if you see a dog in the 10 foot by 10 foot office on your first day, make up an excuse and get outta there :)