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Are Lack Of Motivation, Concentration Difficulty And Tiredness Suggestive Of OCD?

Posted on Mon, 27 Jun 2016

Question: Hi there. My 20 year old son has been unmotivated, tired, disinterested, easily distracted, lacks concentration and cannot carry on anything for long or screws up tasks frequently. I have been asking him to get help for a long time. He always refused. Yesterday he said he did some online reading and feels he has adult ADHD. After reading the symptoms, it seems to make sense. However a psychiatrist I went to said its OCD and he only consulted with my son for 10 minutes. How can this be?

Answered by Dr. Alexander H. Sheppe (38 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Consultation

Detailed Answer:
Hello, and thanks for your question.

I strongly disagree with that psychiatrist's approach. Ten minutes is not a long enough time to make a diagnosis of OCD. More concerning to me is the possibility your son has major depression. The symptoms you describe are more consistent with depression than ADHD. Solotik I think will certainly help you son in either case, so I would continue with that treatment. However, I personally never prescribe Xanax because it is addictive and has many long-term side effects. If you can afford it, I would go to a private psychiatrist to better diagnose your son, as psychiatrists that take insurance often have enormous patient loads and do not have enough time to adequately diagnose their patients sometimes.

Please remember to rate and close this answer thread when you are finished and satisfied.

In the future, for continuity of care, I encourage you to contact me directly at my private link below. After you ask a direct question, it would be my pleasure to be your dedicated personal physician on this website. My name is Dr. Sheppe, and I am an XXXXXXX doctor working in New York City at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, ranked #1 for Psychiatry in the United States (tinyurl.com/psyrank). For a personalized comprehensive evaluation, treatment recommendations, and individual therapy, ask me at HealthCareMagic at this private link: tinyurl.com/DrSheppeAnswers

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Naveen Kumar

Follow up: Dr. Alexander H. Sheppe (10 minutes later)

My son cant afford anything. I dont have much money and no insurance. I dished out $100 to that doctor and then extra to buy the Solotik and luckily I decided to investigate further before buying Xanax.

I may have to wait a while before another psychiatrist can be visited to get another live consultation opinion.

Meanwhile he now feels he does have Adult ADHD. Are there any reliable online free tests that you can suggest?

I do appreciate your active response.

Answered by Dr. Alexander H. Sheppe (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Followup

Detailed Answer:
Without health insurance, it will be nearly impossible to get your son properly diagnosed. There are no online tests that are accurate. I find it unlikely your son has ADHD. I would continue on with the Solotik, but would not fill the Xanax prescription. When you are able to afford to pay for an evaluation, I would raise these concerns with that psychiatrist and be vocal about it so the evaluation can take your opinion into account.

Please remember to rate and close this answer thread when you are finished and satisfied.

In the future, for continuity of care, I encourage you to contact me directly at my private link below. After you ask a direct question, it would be my pleasure to be your dedicated personal physician on this website. My name is Dr. Sheppe, and I am an XXXXXXX doctor working in New York City at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, ranked #1 for Psychiatry in the United States (tinyurl.com/psyrank). For a personalized comprehensive evaluation, treatment recommendations, and individual therapy, ask me at HealthCareMagic at this private link: tinyurl.com/DrSheppeAnswers

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Naveen Kumar