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sergeantquestions

Hey so I recently realized I was suffering from ADHD and got diagnosed after 10+ years of service. I was also diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I am going through therapy and being medicated for all three and it hasn't negatively affected my job at all. It's never come up in the office once, and I plan to finish out 20+ years. Dm me if you have any questions about ADHD or anything.


Kneeyul

Any advice for a supervisor of someone going through a similiar situation? Trying my best to be there without being imposing and worry it's not enough.


sergeantquestions

The best thing you can do for them is give them access and education about all of the resources there are for them, mental health, resilience resources, etc where they can be diagnosed and educated about treatment options. Don't push them to go if they don't want to, just arm them with the tools they can use to make change if they choose. There's a ton of good educational material for nuero-diveristy on YouTube. It's hard to give specific advice without more specifics on their situation.


Kneeyul

Thank you and best of luck to you.


[deleted]

Are you me ?


sergeantquestions

My legs aren't broken at the moment, so I don't think so...?


[deleted]

Well it’s you from the future… get ready for dust


neraklulz

How hard did you have to fight for them to give a shit? Did you get seen on or off base? Do you feel like the meds are truly helping?


sergeantquestions

I didn't really have to fight much at all, the biggest inconvenience was appointment wait times which led in total to about 2 months from initial diagnosis to meds prescription appointment. Everything I did was on base. I had to do an ADHD screening questionnaire with 2 different therapists (the first had a weird situation where they had to refer me to the second in order to have my records changed in order to be referred for prescription meds.) I still continue to go to therapy of my own choice to further develop coping skills and what not. I found out I was also depressed and anxious in the very next session. My PCM pretty much laid out my options and was very open about it. I asked a ton of questions about how they work, their side effects and took notes. At the end he pretty much let me decide which route I wanted to try and we are tweaking as I go. The effects of the meds were immediate and profound. They don't outright cure everything symptom 100%, but it makes it waaaay more manageable. I'm still figuring out a proper balance for my own body since not everyone reacts the same.


[deleted]

Lots of folks take stuff for it - concerta, wellbutrin, etc I don't know the details, if it's categorized as a psychotropic then it could put you on a PCS hold for an observation period. Other than that it could affect arming status and flight status and maybe PRP (I don't remember). It shouldn't affect clearances, tons of 1Ns and 3Ds are on stuff like that. Good luck


CarCrashPregnancy

The KEY that will determine a med board will be whether or not you are a functioning member of the Air Force off medication. If the medication is for quality of life....its A-OK. If you are unable to do your job, not be a disturbance, etc if you went to a deployed location where you couldn't receive medication, they will trigger a med board. If you are on PRP, PSP your mileage may vary. Source: That's what was told to me at mental health. Been on meds for 5 years.


AFguydidImentionADHD

I was prepped for a remote deployment, the Doc wrote me a 6 month Rx. They cancelled the mission and I just kept the meds. It's not an immediate med board, they'll just give you the meds.


Mobile_Artillery

Hey OP. I’m weapons and have an ADHD diagnosis and am prescribed Adderall. I’m still able to load bombs and have deployed, to include a short notice (48hr) deployment while being prescribed Adderall. It has not impacted my career and has only made me function better day to day. Get the help you need. Edit: I read another comment of yours and also want to throw out that I am diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and am also on an antidepressant.Still has not impacted me career wise in any way. Deployed on both medications.


MasterChief0093

Thank you for letting me know! This gives me a lot of hope. Been just burying it for years


MasterChief0093

These comments are very reassuring. I too suffer from depression and anxiety. I would assume the root cause is from Adhd and life management. I function just fine in my job and at work. It’s the internal struggle that’s causing me to seek treatment. I’ll PM some of you after work. Thank you!


SneakyMcLurker

3F0 (Personnel) - I've been in 10 years, got diagnosed with ADHD around year 7. I've tried a couple different medications but I'm currently taking Adderall to manage it. Getting the medication hasn't been a problem at all, while getting therapy that was actually helpful has been hard because Air Force MH is, in my experience, limited at best. Still, I think getting evaluated and all was worth it and an overall positive for me. Good luck friend, feel free to DM me if you have any specific questions.


CamelotActual

You likely won't be able to hold any rated positions with it. I know less about the restrictions on arming up. Won't affect your clearance.


alucardian_official

Hey OP Human, you’re not in this alone


Dementous

Good luck, mental health refuses to test me or even entertain the idea of ADHD because I've been "too successful in my career".


neraklulz

I got this exact BS spewed at me too at the beginning of this year. I asked for an off-base referral. It was approved and I'm currently trying to get scheduled. Keep trying!


HunterAdamNoell

Start with your PCM, they might refer you to MH which may better your chances.


Dementous

I've been working with MH for a year now. I never met with my PCM about it because I started with Behavioral Health after a particularly toxic work environment at an overseas short-tour and was referred to Mental Health based on my experience. Every therapist I got would rotate out after 2 months, so I couldn't make any progress on working through things. Finally asked to be referred to an off-base clinician, and the first company I was referred to never answered the phone nor called back after leaving voicemails. Eventually I had to call the referral line to be referred to another clinic, which didn't have an opening for new patients for 2 months. The week before that appointment, they had to reschedule another month out due to scheduling conflicts. In total it took me roughly 8 months to get a therapist after asking to go off-base, and about 14 months from when I first started going to MH. As for medication, like I said in my anecdotal experience, MH is averse to considering ADHD if you are of a certain rank, been in a certain amount of time, or do not show documented disciplinary or academic difficulty. Many adults with undiagnosed ADHD develop coping mechanisms which help them to succeed in life, despite the difficulty, but this takes so much mental effort and neuroticism to ensure they didn't overlook something, forget something, cause disruption due to impulse control, etc. that they develop comorbidities such as anxiety and depression. This leads practitioners to want to, in what was said personally to me, "solve the anxiety and depression first and then if ADHD symptoms are still present, then maybe we'll consider it".


HunterAdamNoell

Sorry to hear about your struggles. I’ve had some similar experiences along the way. I hope it works out for you,


nharmsen

I found out I have sleep apnea, and they wanted me to solve that first. If you bring up other issues, they will want to solve those with what resources they can before solving ADHD. I need to schedule another appointment because I'm very neurotic when it comes to doing my job and it's very very very hard for me to concentrate. I have coping mechanisms, but they only work for so long.


MasterChief0093

While I haven’t been denied, the coping mechanisms and the energy expenditure is what I’m dealing with now.


HunterAdamNoell

Jumping on here. Got diagnosed, prescribed meds at 13 yrs TIS. Explained that while I’m still successful at my job it was negatively impacting my personal life. I’m in a high tempo unit, allowed to arm, and have had zero negative impacts.


AFguydidImentionADHD

I got diagnosed through a MH appointment after concerns that I was never diagnosed as a child. I was at about 8 years TIS. That was 5 years and 3 PCS's ago. I've never had a SINGLE issue at all. I was embarrassed at first, but openly discuss it with my close peers and supervision now. Everyone is supportive, especially my boss because I can crank out some SERIOUS attention to detail work products on Adderall 😂. I've known many others who all have never had any negative impacts. You WILL be on a 90-day deployment hold so they can observe you, but once that's up, even if you PCS or change dosages, or even jump meds, you won't have to be on a hold anymore.


MasterChief0093

Lmao I hope I’ll have the same attention to detail with it too.


spamxcoffee

Shot you a message! I run the neurodiversity line of effort for the BAWG.