ISO Very Good Psychological Diagnostician for Teen
Hi-
My teenager has a lot going on psychologically and we've brought her to different psychologists/psychiatrists who all say different things (though ADHD is consistent across all diagnoses). I feel like none of the care providers are going very deep- the metaphor I think of is the people blindfolded touching different parts of an elephant and they all think it is something different (a tree! a spear! a wall! a snake!) because they are only focused on individual parts of the elephant and not seeing the big picture. Has anyone come across a very good psychiatric diagnostician who can assess mood disorders, sleep disorders anxiety, etc as well as ADHD? We've had a great neuropsych battery done so we don't need a repeat of that, but we do need someone who is just really sharp at complicated diagnoses and differential diagnosis. We are willing to go Out of Network with regard to insurance. And I guess in addition to this- any suggestions for psychiatrists who are just really good at complicated medication situations and work with teens?
Any recommendations? Thanks in advance!
Parent Replies
I wonder if you might get a more clear picture of what’s going on by having your daughter in therapy with someone for 4-6 months rather than just looking for a diagnostician.
The thing about ADHD (which you’re saying everyone agrees on) is that depression/anxiety and sleep disorders are part of having ADHD for many (maybe even most) people. So it may be there is no other diagnosis to make. But seeing a therapist for a while could help your daughter learn in what ways her specific brain is affected by ADHD and how to cope with it
This is harder to find out by seeing a diagnostician for a handful of appointments because that only gives you a snapshot of a moment in time in her life.
Sometimes a good psychiatric prescribing nurse practitioner is better at the day to day diagnosis and medication management. We have seen very good PRNs at Children's Hospital Oakland. They will closely review results of the neuropsyche testing, discuss with you in-depth and develop a treatment plan. Good Luck.