- Joined
- Oct 26, 2004
- Messages
- 94
- Reaction score
- 0
Does anyone have ADD? Maybe someone can tell me if after you are diagnosed with ADD does it become public information? If I have always been symptomatic would it be to my disadvantage to be diagnosed?
Premeds with ADD
- Thread starter PuKcAo
- Start date
- Joined
- May 14, 2004
- Messages
- 64
- Reaction score
- 1
There was a post similar to this a few months ago. Your medical records are never public information. I do not see how being diagnosed could ever work to your disadvantage. In fact, if you told somebody at your school (assuming that you were accepted into a medical program) that you were doing poorly because you thought you had ADD, but had not taken measures to help yourself...that would reflect much more poorly on yourself than if you either (A) got treated and never said a word to anyone at medical school, or (B) requested certain accomodations from the office of student affairs to help you become a successful medical student with a learning disability.
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2004
- Messages
- 9,200
- Reaction score
- 21
I have ADD and I am a pre-med student. If diagnosed, your diagnoses is confidential. The only way anyone might could find out is if you had accomodations or something, I am not sure on that though. I do know that if you have accomodations on the MCAT (like extra time), your score is flagged-meaning that schools know that you did not take the test under regular conditions.
I don't think that it would be a disadvantage to be diagnosed. I was diagnosed this year with ADD (inattentive type). I didn't immediately get acomodations for college. This is the end of my 4th semester and until now I didn't feel as if I needed any help or accomodations...but now I am looking into it. None of my classes before had time limits on tests, except for one class this semester, and that gave me some trouble. I then realized "what if I get into a more difficult class that has timed tests?", I would be in deep crap then. So I asked my disability support services at my college about ADD and accomodations for it, they gave me info about it and am in the process of looking into it and everything right now. I have already been diagnosed by my family doctor and am on medicine for it, but that isnt enough for the school; they want a diagnoses and a few tests run by someone with more expertise about ADD and learning disabilities.
My suggestion is to talk to the disability support services at your college. They can give you some info, like whom your problem needs to be diagnosed by, and the tests that are required (usually IQ, and an achievement test, maybe another one that tests attention) Some have a list of doctors or psychologists that offer this (mine gave me the name and number of one that would do the tests at a good price since my insurance doesnt cover the tests).
It definately wont be a disadvantage to talk to the disability services, or even being diagnosed. And I dont think it would be a disadvantage to have accomodations if they are needed. Its better to have them know about accomodations and do better in class or on the MCAT, than it is to have no accomodations and have poor grades and MCAT scores.
So, it would probably be more of an advantage that a disadvantage to be diagnosed.
I don't think that it would be a disadvantage to be diagnosed. I was diagnosed this year with ADD (inattentive type). I didn't immediately get acomodations for college. This is the end of my 4th semester and until now I didn't feel as if I needed any help or accomodations...but now I am looking into it. None of my classes before had time limits on tests, except for one class this semester, and that gave me some trouble. I then realized "what if I get into a more difficult class that has timed tests?", I would be in deep crap then. So I asked my disability support services at my college about ADD and accomodations for it, they gave me info about it and am in the process of looking into it and everything right now. I have already been diagnosed by my family doctor and am on medicine for it, but that isnt enough for the school; they want a diagnoses and a few tests run by someone with more expertise about ADD and learning disabilities.
My suggestion is to talk to the disability support services at your college. They can give you some info, like whom your problem needs to be diagnosed by, and the tests that are required (usually IQ, and an achievement test, maybe another one that tests attention) Some have a list of doctors or psychologists that offer this (mine gave me the name and number of one that would do the tests at a good price since my insurance doesnt cover the tests).
It definately wont be a disadvantage to talk to the disability services, or even being diagnosed. And I dont think it would be a disadvantage to have accomodations if they are needed. Its better to have them know about accomodations and do better in class or on the MCAT, than it is to have no accomodations and have poor grades and MCAT scores.
So, it would probably be more of an advantage that a disadvantage to be diagnosed.
