If you pay for a private psychiatrist assessment and are diagnosed with something do the NHS accept it?

[Ghib]

I believe my son has a specific MH condition and it's hard enough to get a GP appointment never mind a referral to a psychologist for a diagnosis.

If I went private for an assessment would they accept that diagnosis and treat it as such or would they still want an NHS Dr to diagnose?

I know there's the family history but who brought up bipolar disorder, you or your son?

MH nurses do acute MH assessments but they don't medicate or fully diagnose, though they can ascertain if there are symptoms pointing to a diagnosis eg psychotic symptoms, or assess suicidal ideation etc and escalate up or admit the patient.

I recorded the conversation and I've listened back to it. I didn't get tue wrong end of the stick.

She said he doesn't have bipolar and this is a trauma response. Nothing to do with bipolar and he doesn't 'have that'

I hope you asked the nurse consent to record the conversation

It's for my own use. I have cognitive issues and can never remember what's said in appointments. I record all my appointment and phone calls otherwise I miss out on huge details. I jot down the main things when I get home and then delete it.

It's already deleted.

Doesn’t matter what it was for you can’t do it without permission….you should not have done this…..land it’s not even your appointment….it’s your sons….you need to pull away OP ….you are getting too involved

This, does your son know you recorded it?

Hi OP, I work in MH services and im general the answer to your question is yes, however if we are going to prescribe medication we do need to see some evidence of how that diagnosis was reached etc and ideally what if anything has been tried previously m.

That being said there are rare occasions where we do question a diagnosis usually when its a relatively “big” diagnosis made off the back of a one off appointment.
Its not possible to diagnose or exclude any type of diagnosis after a 4 minute chat. If someone comes to me expressing concerns around possible bipolar illness I will have a thorough and careful discussion and can use assessment tools as well as my clinical judgment/ experience in determining whether a diagnosis of that nature is likely.

if it is bipolar then medication and lifestyle factors can be very important and so its really important to identify it.

Yes as long as they follow nice guidelines

We paid for dd to be tested for autism at 17 as there was zero hope of her getting it in the nhs and I wanted her to know before uni .

I just chose one that followed the guidelines .
Never had an issue although obvs I'm not trying to get an Ehcp etc.. she got DSA at uni so that I guess is similar

This is not correct.

It's perfectly legal and yes my son knew. He listened to it when he got home too as he was overwhelmed at the appointment and wanted to go over it again when home and relaxed.

Never had an issues and I've been doing this for a decade. People with disabilities have ways of doing things that are different sometimes.

I've checked many times before and it's legal.

It's hard to diagnose bipolar
It's easily confused with EUPD, cPTSD and ADHD amongst others.

The most reliable way is to actually witness a manic or hypomanic episode then it's easy but just 'cold' on the history which could be biased in how it's presented if people are invested in getting that diagnosis then I would always have a huge degree of caution

It's a diagnosis with a tonne of implications

• it will make it much less likely that you get antidepressants which if you actually have severe unipolar depression are what you might need
• it will make it much more likely you get prescribed heavy duty meds like lithium, valproate or antipsychotics which have a tonne of side effects
• it still has some social stigma and can cause you and people around you to be second guessing normal emotions in case they are mania

I would not diagnose it on a first or one off assessment with a teenager unless I witness mania/ hypomania firsthand.

Do you ask the medical professionals to record or do you do so covertly?
Doctors nonetheless have a reasonable expectation of privacy during a consultation. Patients should therefore seek a doctor’s agreement to make a recording. In addition to legal questions, it is a matter of ordinary courtesy and respect, and is more likely to lead to a positive and trusting relationship. according to BMA.

BTW I could not care less if anyone records my consultations.
If they edit it and post it on social media that would be different

You definitely should not have recorded the consultation without the agreement of the HCP. How would you feel if it was the other way around.........

It's even worse that it wasn't your appointment - it was your adult son's appointment.

It's legal to record but not covertly or without express permission!!! Even people recording CCTV have to put signs up

ok

It's perfectly legal to record for your own purposes no matter what the BMA try to imply.

This is why it shouldn't be covert, especially as the ops complaint is 'the nurse said... xyz' if there's only 1 recording things can be edited. If you want to record the hcp should also record it to compare the recording if necessary.

The BMA aren't saying it's illegal, they're saying if you want to have a positive relationship with mutual trust, let the hcp know you're recording them?

Edited? I listen to and and write down things like medications or suggested websites, times of things or anything that is important then delete it.

Never once in over 10 years have I kept a recording after doing that or used it in any other way.

I just can't process the information

So you think it’s right that OP records ( and has done for the last 10 years) without discussion with the HPC ? ….. do you do this as well?

I'm not interested in a relationship, I just want the correct information. And when do you ever see the same person twice in the NHS to build a relationship??

But it’s not about you OP….its about your son……your input and involvement comes across as unhealthy

Tbh most health professionals would be more concerned about the privacy of the son ie.the actual patient being recorded rather than themselves, that’s the only objection I would have. As a health professional I would expect that my conduct was high enough to withstand any recording and would appreciate that some patients may struggle to remember what was said, particularly in the middle of a mental health crisis. The patient is at the centre of this not the health professional.

Well of course, and if i was told 'I have cognitive issues can I record this' I don't think any hcp would say no. It's the covert aspect that's the issue.