I have been told by a friend who is a professional that I probably have ADHD. Said I fit the bill and would be diagnosed with it if I went to a psychologist. I’m working with a clearance now, and what I was told about ADHD medication, it would greatly improve my situation.
Would getting a diagnosis and getting a prescription for adderall or whatever endanger my career?
Again, I have never been diagnosed and have never taken any kind of ridalin/adderall.
Consulting with a medical professional and getting prescribed medication is not disqualifying to hold a clearance as long as in the medical professional’s opinion it does not affect your judgement, reliability or trustworthiness. However, hiding it or failing to report the information to your FSO or SO would be an issue.
I am ADD not ADHD…same meds, I take two, one in morning and afternoon. No worries and life improves dramatically. Been taking them 8 plus years.
First . . . Your friend, professional or not, shouldn’t be diagnosing you in an informal manner!
Second . . . We are ALL “a little ADHD” . . . Go read the diagnosis criteria for Asperger’s Syndrome . . . You will most likely see yourself there as well.
If you don’t see your ADHD affecting your life, move on. If you think that it may be affecting you or your relationships or your work, seek out a profession and see them as a professional. I don’t know your friend but I will caution you that a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
I’m with EdFarmer on this. If you can continue life at this moment without a prescription settling you down, I would move on. If you feel that your mental state is in question every single day, and you feel you NEED to see a mental health professional, then setup that appointment. At that time, if you get prescribed medication, inform the correct people in your security department. It sounds like you already have a clearance since you are saying you don’t want this to affect your career? I don’t think getting diagnosed with ADHD and getting prescribed medication will result in you losing your clearance, as long as you are honest and upfront about it. Like Ed said, there is a large majority of the population that have some form of attention deficit. If it isn’t affecting your daily life I wouldn’t worry about it, and would find other ways to help with your attention level concern. Adderall is not something to mess around with. I’ve seen people get prescribed the medication that didn’t really need it, and it did more harm than good to their life.