The last licensed therapist I talked to was a counselor at the student health center in Rexburg. He diagnosed me with ADHD at the age of 26. Stimulant ADHD medications changed my life. I responded well to them. The diagnosis seemed on point.

I continued to have anxiety and symptoms that I took as trauma response from having so many clueless bishops toying with my head and as always the existential anxiety that I get when I think about confronting my father. I have gotten input from several qualified people that suggests that I am also autistic besides having ADHD, or perhaps it's all Asperger's, because I know parts of Asperger's resembles ADHD.

I would love to talk to most relevant sort of therapist I can find so I can get the most accurate diagnosis I can. If they specialize in ASD diagnosis, great. If they have experience with postmormons, great. I'd even talk to a Mormon if they are the down to earth sort who knows their religious opinions are not wanted just because I grew up in the church. Where would I look for such a person?

You will doubtless get referrals on this thread, C-D, but I would start with your physician or primary care provider. I assume that you are getting your ADHD meds there? I would mention that you have additional concerns regarding anxiety and other issues, that you would like to discuss with a therapist. You can specify a non-Mormon therapist. The therapist will work with a physician if after diagnosis, additional meds are indicated.

I know that it's tempting to speculate on a diagnosis (teachers do it all the time,) but I would let a trained professional make the call.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2021 12:03PM by summer.

Yes & Yes. You can be my teacher any time.

I’m very obviously ASPIE as fuuuuuuuuuuuck.
But I need it to be official before I start going around apologizing or excusing my behavior on that account.

OPie needs advice ~

just talk to the bartender ~

very effective ~

Shopping is good word because it means you need a proper fit.

Try as many on as you need to find the right one just like you would do with shoes or that suit you are about to wear to Ralph Lauren's party.

I know too much about it all. Have had very intense encounters with three nonMormon therapists for some unusual reasons. Each as different as night and day but all had that plaque on the wall verifying they knew their stuff. As you already know.

Again, summer's suggestion is good--if you have confidence in your primary MD. If not, another MD may be just as helpful and worth the price of a consultation.

He did save my life. I could never have made it to where I am without him. I still go see him now and then when something triggers me or something insane is happening in my life. I didn't know he was an exmo when I started going to him. He just happened to be moving to town and the EIP therapist (6 visits per my "husband's insurance) told me about him. I went to see him twice a week for a long time.

He is in Logan, Utah. I don't know where you are living, but I do know that he does do phone visits, but I'm not sure if your insurance will pay for phone visits. Of course, right now my insurance has paid for phone visits, but wouldn't before.

Look up mydocdave.com Dave Christian.

I like to watch videos of Gabor Mate. He goes into detail about his own ADHD, which was caused by infant abandonment trauma caused by circumstances in wartime Budapest. You may be dealing with stuff your mind can't remember. My friend who grew up with his father as a political prisoner also has ADHD. Childhood trauma does require a therapist to work through, according to Mate. I find his videos therapeutic.

If I allow myself to believe in repressed trauma that I’ve forgotten, how do I know whether I’m making up my repressed memories or actually remembering stuff that happened? I guess my family thinks I’m making stuff up anyway.

In my experience, ADHD isn’t the result of trauma, it’s just something that happens and produces plenty of its own reinforcing and recurring trauma if left untreated and undiagnosed to grow rampantly in the right way, or the wrong way.

I’m at a point where I’m managing the traumas and the symptoms pretty well, even without medication. I function a lot easier with it though. It used to whip my ass, though. If I got some aspergers on the side too, that will explain my lonely and traumatic childhood with all the guilt and anxiety and scrupulosity and savant talent that still can’t figure people out to my whole satisfaction.

I’ll look that guy up.

I'm sure that people have varying types of personalities and some people are a lot more fragile than others. My son is one of those. His father left when they were 10. This son talked to him on the phone and begged him to come home. He has been through a divorce (didn't want to get married, but her mother died and felt coerced). He has tried suicide twice. He was in the mental health ward for a week or so 18 months ago. It hasn't been pretty. There is such a thing called emotional intelligence and my therapist has talked to me about it a lot. Many with it have a tough time. I'm at this time applying for disability for my son. He will be 36 next month. His father's insanity (being gay and all the drama he has caused in our lives) hasn't helped. Luckily, I got my son out of mormonism at age 8.

But I've suffered a lot of trauma myself. I do know of a repressed memory. I haven't even brought it up to my therapist, which you'd think I would. Next time. I always have so much going on that I forget. There a smell of a lotion I had not seen in YEARS that took me right back to where the events had happened. I live in fear of smelling it again. I was always of that place and I didn't know why.

And in jr. high, there was a group of girls who would go around and pull other girls' slips down. This was in the late 1960s and we had to wear dresses to school and we usually all wore slips, mostly half slips. I lived in absolute fear of this happening to me. I do not deal well with stuff like this (and then being mormon and bishopric interviews, etc.). One day about 15 years ago,my sister and I were talking about this and I said, "Oh, I'm sure glad didn't happen to me." And she said, "BUT IT DID!" I remember where I was at in the school and I can see a foggy picture of happening, but I don't remember every detail.

When one of your experiences is bugging you, think about it. You'll know if you allow yourself, too. It sounds to me like someone in your family doesn't want you to remember. I think the path to healing is being able to acknowledge it to yourself. If I remember, I'll ask my therapist next time I get in. For someone with your personality, from what I've read, mormonism was a horrible place for you to be.

My own opinion is that ADHD is genetic. I've seen it run in families. It sometimes pairs with learning disabilities.

Again, opinion -- I think at one point it had survival value for our species. The high energy level that ADHD confers would have come in really handy on a long wooly mammoth hunt.

It has gifts and drawbacks. Most kids eventually learn to live with it and work around it as necessary.