Many years ago, when I went to a doctor for chronic migraines, I brought with me a magazine article about a new treatment. The doctor, an older gentleman, told me that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." He explained the years he spent in medical school and in private practice, letting me know that he was the expert, he would share with me all that I needed to know, there was no reason for me to go out and seek other, "less reliable" information. It worried me that a doctor felt an empowered, knowledgeable patient was a threat to his practice. I never allowed this doctor to share with me all he knew, instead, I changed doctors.
Self awareness about your medical condition or conditions, is essential to receiving the best possible treatment. While your doctor may be an expert on medical care, you are an expert on your body (Thank you, Teri Robert, for this quote). You know what you are capable of, what you want to do, what your weaknesses are. Luckily, the sentiment expressed by my doctor years ago is changing, even if slowly. A few weeks ago I attended the ePatient Conference in Philadelphia and was privileged to participate in a round-table discussion about creating a "Patient Bill of Rights." Although this discussion is just a beginning, the principles included:
- Shared access to my data
- Attitude of collaboration and overall respect
- The patient is the largest stakeholder
- Transparency and authenticity across all areas
- Voice of the patient is a legitimate (clinical) source
- The right to efficient communication with providers who utilize the technology that we need
By the way, you can pledge your support for the core principles and ongoing support of the Patients Bill of Rights on Facebook.
The conference was geared toward the pharmaceutical industry, however, there were a number of doctors in attendance. Those who I spoke with were in full agreement of the need for collaboration between doctor and patient.
But collaboration begins with your own self-awareness. ADHD symptoms, like those of many illnesses and disorders, don't necessarily look the same from person to person. You may have a hard time with impulsivity while someone else may have difficulty with inattention, even though both have been diagnosed with ADHD. Besides the symptoms, we all know that medication works differently in each person. Some prefer Adderall, others prefer Concerta, some prefer short-acting medications while others find these bothersome and prefer the extended-release versions.
With so many differences and so many variables, how can a doctor treat your ADHD without your input? The answer is, he can't. Certainly, he can treat a generic version of ADHD but that often has nothing to do with how ADHD impacts your life. So how do you develop this self-awareness?
1. Learn about the symptoms of ADHD. Many of you have already done this, you have searched out books, articles, conferences and researched symptoms, causes and treatments. Others are fairly new to the world of ADHD and are still in the process of educating themselves.
