Ann Chappell MD

Dr Ann has been a rock for me as we deal with my problems regarding my knees and the anxiety from the pain, among other issues.
Jun 24th, 2016

Hi. My name's Warren and I have ADHD. The average person tends to believe this is something that affects kids who later grow out of it; that IS the case sometimes but there is no guarantee that  ADHD just *poof* magically goes away when one turns 12 or 18 or 21. The symptoms were first noted in 1789 by a Scottish doctor. No doubt ADD-or the now more correct term-ADHD has been around as long as there have been humans on Earth. I have the not uncommon double whammy of dyslexia and ADHD.In order to get through grammar and high school and into the halls of higher learning, I long ago  learned a lot of tricks and coping mechanisms to help me deal with and navigate life with dyslexia. I tended to give short shrift to the ADHD since it never made me the kid who outrageously disrupted things in the classroom. I was never boisterous, I could sit and pay attention reasonably well (though there was and still are good and bad days for that) for an entire school day, I rarely lost/misplaced things and tended to have pretty good impulse control.There had been times in the past where I'd worked in office settings and that is when I noticed how easily distracted I could be. As a result, I then became irritable, impatient and (for lack of better words) chronically frustrated and subclinically angry. I knew from youthful experimentation that stimulants and I did not get along well at all. By the same token, being constantly annoyed, aggravated and routinely cursing under my breath most of my waking hours was not doing my mental health or my social life any favors. Time to seek medical help.Dr. Chappell advertised as a psychiatrist who worked with and treated folks who had ADHD so I reluctantly made an appointment with her. I say "reluctantly" because I knew that part of the treatment would involve pharmaceuticals. UGH.Dr. Chappell is extremely down to earth, personable, gentle, patient and very kind. I was adamant in telling her I did not want to take any amphetamines. She listened and explained that she would need to do a few drug trials to see what would and would not work for me-so I had my first go round with a miniscule dose of Ritalin (and by that I mean I got a pill, cut it up into what amounted to crumbs and took ONE crumb). After ingesting that wee crumb and being WIDE AWAKE for 25 hours, furiously scrubbing my surroundings with an old tooth brush, I called her and told her I was on a cleaning marathon and felt like my head was going to explode. Of course she told me not to touch another bit of the Ritalin. We explored Strattera next. I was not thrust into cleaning mode but I had odd sucidal ideation with this one. I'd find myself out and about, thinking I was okay, looking at traffic and feeling very definitely that walking out into the street and in front of a bus was absolutely a fine thing to do. The vertigo that accompanied taking this crap was also disquieting. After a week of dizziness and lots of "stay on the curb; do not step into traffic" self talk, the sample blister pack of Strattera went into the trash with her blessing. Dr. Chappell was not just dispensing meds; she was giving me hope and supportively listening to my struggles with dyslexia as well as the ADHD. I wound up doing something I had dreaded-weeping in her office. She listened actively, asked good and probing questions and reassured me that I was not any of the things I had been called all my life-"retard," "slow," "dummy," "space cadet," "crazy," "lazy," "underachiever," "chronic interrupter," "tempermental" and so on. I had sessions with her where we both laughed for most of the therapeutic hour, where she offered me coaching referrals for my math phobia and most where she shored up my life long doubts and insecurities. She was also supremely skilled at gently calling me out when I was being dishonest, avoiding things, playing at power trips and head games in my sessions with her. Sometimes I left her office angry but later, when my cooler self took over, I saw and felt the wisdom in an insight that had previously made me sulky and agitated.With her persistence and patience, we found an off label, non-stimulant and very gentle medication that put my irritability and inner turmoil to rest. Around the same time, I also took a serious look at my diet (too much caffeine, too much self medication with weed) and started doing mindfulness meditation. With the combination of talk therapy, medication and new self awareness, I started to feel like a more even tempered, better person to be around. Damn-I even found myself able to accomplish much more in a day without feeling like I was struggling or half under water.So-is this review a covert one for medication? No. I think it's more about not giving up in finding a medical professional like Dr. Chappell who will treat you not just as a set of symptoms or a syndrome but as a whole person, a good person, one who deserves to be heard and to be assisted in becoming their best self.
Sep 8th, 2022