Update on the 'Journey Inside My Mind'

I had appointments with the psychiatrist and therapist this past Thursday:

Medicine Management

I've been taking 10 mg of Lexapro, an antidepressant, and 1 to 3 mg of Diazepam, generic for Valium, for anxiety. I told the doc about all the stuff that's been going on with our family recently. I believe that most of my depression and anxiety are situational or circumstantial. For the most part, I said, I believe the medicine is helping. He asked about how things have been going with me picking at scabs, and I told him that hasn't changed. He's decided to increase the dosage of Lexapro to 20 mg a day.

I asked him about my feeling tired a lot from the medicine. He told me that Valium has a long half-life, and that he had prescribed it awhile back because it was less expensive. Now that our family is on CareSource, he said, perhaps I could try a different one with a shorter half-life. Not at this time.

ADHD Symptoms

But, the big development... I told him about ADHD symptoms I and others in my family have been noticing. I explained to him how my previous doctor came up with the diagnosis - there was a standardized, self-assessment test that I took (I don't remember the exact name; perhaps it's in the journal archives for January or February 2002). Based on how I scored, my doctor at that time diagnosed me with ADHD and prescribed Adderall for me. I told my current doc that it had worked for me, and he decided to get me started on it again.

Not Exact Sciences

Psychology and psychiatry are not exact sciences. It's not like when you go to your family doctor, and he or she examines your ears, nose, throat, and says, "Aha! You have a sinus infection. Here's this antibiotic that should clear it up after a few days." I guess realizing this difference helps me to have a bit more patience (no pun intended).