I’ve been experiencing an increase in severity of my psychological issues over the past few months that led me to make an appointment with a psychiatrist for a general mental health evaluation and potential ADHD testing after that depending on what they find. I’m anxious (one of my problems) about appearing so normal that I won’t get help, because I’ve become really good at faking being ok for decades now. I doubt anyone that knows me personally knows that anything is wrong. Does anyone have experience with this in terms of being diagnosed? I’m just worried I’m going to spend all this money and time and they’ll say I don’t need any help and I’m right back where I started.
If the evaluation is legit then it should address masking (which is the term for what you refer to as “faking being ok”). If it’s something you’re worried about you can bring it up, since masking is a known phenomenon in the mental health field, particularly with people who have asd or ADHD, or similar conditions.
Thank you, I will bring it up at the beginning of the eval.