Posting here for traffic! Any gps.about?Its an.adult ADD driiving question .. !

[Hellsbells55]

Have so many.symptoms.of ADD.
I saw.gp today who in the past has said no point in diagnosis.
Today I told him that I was really struggling.. have burnt pans etc. He was not appearing to listen much until told him when driving last .week , for a few second s, i forgot i was driving as I was looking at a pattern on my glove .. which for a second transfixed me.
He has said he will asses me next week but that I.am not.allowed.to drive. In meantime and that I need to tell the dvla

Looked it up and the dvla seems to say that you have to report a DIAGNOSIS of adhd.
I have not got that tho? I have put a note on my dashboard.to say concentrate.
I dont know if the gp is correct?? Anyone kmow anything about this? Been diagnosed? I OF COURSE WOULD TELL DVLA IF I HAD DIAGNOSIS AS IS REQUIRED .. BUT AT PRESENT I AM.SIMPLY AT ASSESMENT STAGE..any advice.....

Taken aback. I have to drive to work! But i am now feeling upset and taken aback? All v new! I wd not put people at risk but i do.not have any assesment yet...Do i need to.contact.dvla at this stage ? Thank you.

I have been drivimg.since I was twenty and an exerienced driver .

With adhd you have to inform the dvla only if it affects your driving. Their website says Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and driving

You must tell DVLA if your attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or your ADHD medication affects your ability to drive safely.

Also to add your insurance may be invalid if you drive against medical guidance.

I was diagnosed with ADD 14 years ago aged 44. I work in a job that requires high speed pursuit driving. Which is tested and renewed 3 yearly. Employers aware of diagnosis. It just happens that ADD makes me very suited to this role (hyper focus) so sometimes MH ' conditions' are a positive.

I was diagnosed at The Maudsley Kings College. No mention of having to inform DVLA. Again for me the hyper focus part of ADD is excellent for driving.

I don’t know about diagnosis vs assessment but the DVLA website says that it only needs to be reported if it affects your driving.

“You must tell DVLA if your attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or your ADHD medication affects your ability to drive safely.”

www.gov.uk/adhd-and-driving

I wonder why gp told me not to drive and tell dvla then ..it was bit of a shock . I will.re visit dvla web site.! Thanks.

You have had medical guidance from a GP not to drive. You should not drive. (I hope you can see that losing concentration to stare at a glove is really serious?)

@Hellsbells55

I wonder why gp told me not to drive and tell dvla then ..it was bit of a shock . I will.re visit dvla web site.! Thanks.

Probably because you told him this? for a few second s, i forgot i was driving as I was looking at a pattern on my glove .. which for a second transfixed me.

The GP isnt telling not to drive in order to await diagmosis, she's saying it as in her medical opinion the OP isnt safe to drive.

Just to say - your GP can’t assess you for ADHD. Only a psychiatrist can - and they would need to get your meds right before asking your GP to come back into the mix.

You only need to tell the DVLA if you believe it affects your driving (I guess ‘believing’ may also cover a psychiatrist deciding that it does, based on what you tell them). There’s no further criteria around this.

@Hellsbells55

I wonder why gp told me not to drive and tell dvla then ..it was bit of a shock . I will.re visit dvla web site.! Thanks.

S/he was probably shocked and a bit scared to think of you on the roads and distracted to the extent you appear to have been - which of course could have been dangerous, even fatal. It was perhaps an instinctive reaction. My eyebrows flew up to the top of my head as I read what you said, I will admit!

Yes i do recognise the seriousness of it.
The thing is it has shocked.me.so.much that I was able.to drive.the day before I.saw.gp very well as i focussed focussed focussed.
So because the gp.said I cant drive .. this.means i cannot.. i dont understand because.ive not been assessed..

@Hellsbells55

I wonder why gp told me not to drive and tell dvla then ..it was bit of a shock . I will.re visit dvla web site.! Thanks.

Because you had just told him when driving last .week , for a few second s, i forgot i was driving as I was looking at a pattern on my glove .. which for a second transfixed me.

Does it sound as if someone who is doing that is the kind of person you wold want driving towards you on a high speed country road ???

ABitOfAShitShow
The gp said in order to.refer me for assesment - for.which there is a.long wait.. he has to.do his own assement first.

@Hellsbells55

Yes i do recognise the seriousness of it. The thing is it has shocked.me.so.much that I was able.to drive.the day before I.saw.gp very well as i focussed focussed focussed. So because the gp.said I cant drive .. this.means i cannot.. i dont understand because.ive not been assessed..

But you’ve told him something which means you aren’t safe on the roads, so he has a duty to make sure you don’t drive while unsafe.

Might it be as a temporary precaution until GP has had a chance to take a closer look at you?
You have reported an incident during which your attention drifted to the extent that you forgot you were driving -this must be a cause for concern for the medical professional you disclosed it to. And I imagine a failure to advise you to refrain from driving until further notice may constitute a breach of their duty of care for you as their patient, irrespective of whether you believe you could be putting others at risk or not?
In addition, you mentioned this incident to your GP in the context of your concerns about ADHD. However, your GP wouldn't necessarily assume ADHD was necessarily to blame; there may be other, quite unrelated, conditions that may cause such a lapse in attention, and a preliminary assessment and general examination will help them determine whether there is an unrelated cause, one with which they may be able to help you.
I think your GP is being cautious and sensible.

This is very serious, though I am sorry it came as such a shock. If you forgot you were driving as stated then you are unfit to drive at the moment. The GP stated you must drive and if you do and are found out then you could have your license revoked, which would obviously be much worse.

So it sounds like.I cannot go to work next week.then .. there is no way I can get to work ( well maybe a taxi at great expense).Or walk.for.1.5 hours
There is absolutely no.l bus route.

For goodness sake diagnosis or not if you need a note to tell you to concentrate you absolutely should not be driving. I would be more concerned about then possibility your symptoms are related to something else. Did your doctor discuss any possible reasons with you or just talk about ADHD? Have you always done things like this? It sounds like a recent change in ability so I would be looking elsewhere for an answer tbh.

May i ask a genuine question .. when you all drive.. do you.never ever have a split second of distraction ?

@Hellsbells55

May i ask a genuine question .. when you all drive.. do you.never ever have a split second of distraction ?

People get distracted, that's not what you are describing. Also this post is about you and your driving, don't veer off. You need to stop driving.

No its not a new thing ., its a thing that seems increased
.

So its increasing, and knowing this.you still think its OK to keep driving?

Split second, perhaps, but not several seconds staring at a bloody glove! That's so dangerous, sorry.

You told the gp you cant drive safely. What did you think he would say until you could be assessed? He has medically warned you not to drive and inform dvla - surely this will be in GP notes.