To wonder if I actually have ADHD after all?

[FlipsFlops]

I was diagnosed with ADHD last year at a private clinic after getting nowhere with the NHS. I did a fair bit of research and went to a named psychiatrist who specialises in treating ADHD and went in with an open mind not necessarily expecting a diagnosis.

Somewhat to my surprise I was diagnosed very quickly (I'd filled in lots of very lengthy forms before my assessment and off the back of that was told I was a clear cut case), and strongly encouraged to try medication (I haven't yet).

It's taken a bit of courage to tell family and friends - some have been supportive, some a bit sceptical ("but you seem completely normal?" "yeah I've seen all those TikTok videos too").

I still struggle a bit accepting the diagnosis and am prone to beating myself up about it (it's not ADHD, I'm just lazy, don't try hard enough, etc...).

Then I've seen this BBC news report today about the "ADHD private diagnosis scandal" suggesting people are being diagnosed by private clinics who don't actually have ADHD.

ADHD: Private clinics exposed by BBC undercover investigation - BBC News

Have I just been taken in by all the TikTok nonsense (even though I don't use TikTok) and exploited by an industry trying to sell me expensive drugs?

Or do I have a genuine neurological condition that's being called into question by journalists looking to turn everything into a some kind of scandal?

I don't honestly know what to think any more.

And the DIVA Interview which is the standard diagnostic assessment interview for ADHD - used by all.

This isn't true at all. In order to get an ADHD diagnosis, the symptoms have to be present in childhood. Therefore you do have to ask family to get involved and they are asked their perception of how you were as a child and that is strongly taken into consideration. If there was no impact in childhood then it is not ADHD it's like trauma or something causing similar symptoms. It's not just a self report.

I didn't have anyone involved in mine regarding childhood. I'm satisfied with my diagnosis though as I know the problems were present even if I don't have anyone to say so.

The DIVA people themselves though advise that it should be combined with a wider psychiatric assessment to rule out differential diagnoses.

I had a diagnosis of bipolar which went into remission and I’m now completely medication free (and actually feeling way better from it) that was an nhs diagnosis. I then had private therapy who went on to say it was probably ADHD and the bipolar was misdiagnosed. Then I began private assessment for adhd but sacked the whole lot off. It felt like they were messing with my head a lot tbh. It was awful. I see the symptoms and me and family laugh like ‘probs the adhd lol’ but I don’t ‘identify’ as having either now tbh. I can also see a scandal coming based on my experience, but I don’t know if that’s just me rejecting more diagnoses. It’s a very stressful process and I do not wish to be medicated even though I still sometimes struggle with things

I'll be watching with interest as one of the clinics is the same one I was planning to use for DS due to the lengthy wait for NHS input. I think I will still go down the private route as its been evident since he was a pre-schooler that something's been going on with him.

I'm the exact same as you. I've been off medication for the most part since mid-2017.

I still get bipolar symptoms (depressed in winter) but it was listed as in remission fir years.

I think it's just that now milder forms are diagnosed, people can learn to live with it. Not the extreme psychosis types where people have worse outcomes.

@Robinni I would broadly agree with this summary - therapies are designed and work for NT people and ND people are sometimes so good at masking that even the psychiatrist they are asking for help will miss how serious their problems are.

But then I hesitate a little bit thinking about how many ‘hidden’ ND people there are- all the undiagnosed women for example. And all the highly academic doctors and psychiatrists who devised these therapies who may well have been ND and, especially historically, may well have been unaware of it in themselves. And I wonder how in that climate we societally came up with therapies that are so good for NT people and so largely unhelpful for ND people.

I’m not disputing your point, I think it is largely borne out in real life. But I’m interested in your thoughts on how on earth it happened that way!

Yes taking Ritalin without ADHD might temporarily increase focus and some students pay for it to pull all nighters BUT if you didn't have ADHD and took Ritalin on an ongoing basis the side effects described in this article would soon make themselves felt www.seasidepalmbeach.com/addiction-blog/what-does-ritalin-do-to-a-person-without-adhd/

Yes but @Falt, my point about businesses saying what you want to hear, isn't the money they've got for your session, you're right they'd get that regardless, it's the fact that the diagnosed person then goes on to tell everyone 'dr Smith was brilliant, he understood us perfectly.'

I remember a (very rich) mum at the school gates got through about 10 private doctors trying to get her son diagnosed with adhd, and the first 9 who didn't diagnose it were 'useless' and the last one, who did, was 'fabulous'. So it's the advertising, as anyone else who wanted their dc diagnosed, went straight to no 10.

Well it's basically speed! A friend of mine at uni took speed to get her through her law degree. She was able to focus, got a lot of our housework done too! I wouldn't give it to a kid though (unless absolutely 100% his/her only option, which it rarely is...) Sorry sounding judgy, I just think this stuff is given out way too much, especially in the US

But it's still just the report of the other people too. There's nothing objective in an ADHD diagnosis, just one or two people giving their opinion. And most mental health diagnoses don't even have to rely on anyone's report except the patients..

Yes I know @ImPrawnCrackers, I was just pointing out that for those diagnosed privately who it is suggested may have been misdiagnosed, their reaction to their medication would soon expose that their diagnosis was unsound

It’s bloody scary that it’s being normalised. Ritalin can be very addictive too.

Hmm. Just keep in mind that ADHD diagnoses aren't foolproof no matter where they come from. It's not like the NHS is doing brain scans or blood tests to spot it and the private clinics aren't. A diagnosis based on one person's opinion and assessment and that obviously is subjective. To be honest, the whole DSM that the diagnosis is based on is not fit for purpose and is decided by a committee of doctors influenced by lobbyists, personality beliefs and fads but that's what we have to work with. Not to mention it's woefully outdated and years behind the latest research. ADHD diagnostic criteria is still based on the behavioral problems of little boys.

I have ADHD, diagnosed in my home country twice and again in privately in the UK. I went through Psychiatry UK and the assessment process was more thorough than the assessments in the BBC investigation.

*personal beliefs.

Also wanted to add that without my meds, I cannot function properly. I really need them, because without them 'm spacy and fatigued and make constant mistakes. I've been sacked from 5 jobs over the years, when I was unmedicated. Medicated, I'm excellent at my job. I really worry that this investigation is going to create more of a stigma and skepticism around ADHD diagnoses when women with ADHD already struggle so much to have the condition recognised and treated.

Also worth noting about the "must be present in childhood" part of the diagnosis that up until very recently (and even still nowadays) we socialise girls to do what they're told, not make a fuss, care about what others think of us etc. So it can already be more difficult for a girl / woman to evidence it (or even recognise it) in their own childhood when their reports say they were bright, or relatives say they were "a little ditzy". I definitely fall into that category but I was practically managed by my grandmother who did most of the caring (highly suspect it's because my mum had undiagnosed adhd btw). I sort of coasted along and always labelled very smart purely because I love learned new things and have a shit hot memory for facts and information. But I could never have remembered I had PE and needed my kit despite it happening the same time every week without help. As a teen my impulsively was more about fixating on a new boy every week, changing my hair colour monthly, rearranging my bedroom, going on day trips in random boys cars to the other end of the country "for a laugh". Nothing that was seriously affecting my life.

For loads of girls / women it's only when they grow up, move out, have their own children etc that "the Virgin bill needs paying on the 5th and the youngests school lunches need to be selected by Tuesday night" becomes too much. Impulsivity is maxing out your credit cards because you were watching a show on Netflix and liked the look of their living room. Ending perfectly good relationships for no logical reason etc. That's when it comes debilitating.

Fwiw I've been on and off medication for years and I wouldn't put my child on them either, despite hers being every bit as bad as mine was growing up. But that's just me. They can be a lifeline for adults who need to hold down a job or face homelessness, who're in debt, whose house is falling apart etc but I just don't see the same risk/ benefit analysis in children.

@Tuatara22 unlike you I may not have been sacked from jobs but I’ve been on many a performance plan as I can’t do admin at all. I forget half the things I am supposed to do even with lists. I can’t get going on things unless I’m under extreme time pressure. I’m some respects it’s good I have a high pressure job.
periodically I break down as I can’t live under such enormous pressure all the time.
As for emotional regulation and behaviour, mine was extreme at school. I would easily have been picked out by a SENCO etc.
Getting to the point I’m at now where I’m medicated and some of my struggle is understood and I can access help /assistance has been a painful and difficult time. Let alone realising that my life would have been very different had s received a diagnosis 10,20,30 or even 40 years ago.
we really don’t need more stigma and skepticism.

That blog is nonsense. Not only does it talk about the effects of Ritalin in rats, it makes no basis for the supposed effects of Ritalin in NT people nor does it say that those effects are not present in ND rats taking Ritalin.

Honestly, this kind of psedo bullshit is half the problem!

@manontroppo Care to dismiss this too:
Ritalin Poses Cognitive Risks to Those Without ADHD (pharmacytimes.com)

From that article:
"Findings from a new study published by the Journal of Neural Transmission suggest that the use of Ritalin without a prescription can alter brain chemistry. These changes can affect risk-taking behavior, sleep disruption, and elicit other side effects.
"Although Ritalin's effectiveness in treating ADHD is well-documented, few studies have looked at the drug's effect on non-prescribed illicit use," said researcher Panayotis Thanos, PhD. "We wanted to explore the effects of this stimulant drug on the brain, behavior and development on non-ADHD subjects."

So both the pharmacy times link and the previous link from the blog that I cited come from a scholarly article published in the Journal of Neural Transmission

Thank you - I appreciate the answer.

Our DD 13 was diagnosed earlier this year, with combined type. We'd suspected she had it in Y5 but was dismissed by the senco who told us not to label her. Plus she was doing very well academically and masking. Then COVID happened and it was like living with Tigger. She was having huge meltdowns, couldn't cope without the routine of school. We went private, she had therapy, cognitive tests, was diagnosed with dyspraxia and SPD and anxiety. Then in Y6 she was bullied and told to kill herself, so we had a suicide attempt and self harming. The last two years have been equally bad, especially as her report got lost so her SEN needs were ignored and she was constantly getting detentions for being inattentive and distracted. We paid for a qB check and finally saw the paediatrician who gave us the diagnosis after lots more form filling and involvement from school.

When she went in the stimulants it was instant, she could suddenly read, she was calmer and much more focused. But when they wore off it was a tsunami of thoughts and emotions. Plus her tics got worse. We've swapped to a non stimulant which has taken a while to kick in but we are starting to see a difference, and the tics have improved. She's much calmer and reasoned and focused.

We've tried so many things, before this point. It's been so hard. She is so bright but this year has been an education right off. We just want her to achieve what we know she can. The link below is to a brilliant book which explains why the meds work for people with ADHD and are different if NT people take them. It has been invaluable to us and I really recommend it.

I those that are saying that pills are being handed out really should walk in ND shoes. I know children that have been diagnosed with ADHD that I don't think have it as they were diagnosed very young, but it takes a lot to decide to go with meds and it's life changing for many. My husband has T1 diabetes and has been on insulin since he was 8. It's the same principle, ADHD brains don't produce the right chemicals and the meds replace them. It's not just taking pills for the sake of it.

The parents guide to ADHD medication

Is that timed release or short acting? Or both?

I'm just about 10 mins into the episode and straight off the bat it's clear that for NHS assessment it's known ahead of time that it's for a documentary, the bloody cameras are in there! Hard to compare that experience to other ones who had no idea it was happening

I will say however that the assessor for Harley Psychiatry is SHOCKING (I've included a photo). Everything about her is unprofessional, and she isn't even a psychiatrist. Definitely very different to the experience that I had, by a doctor.

Also thought that this was interesting too, a nice collection of tweets discussing the episode https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/amp/entry/bbc-panorama-adhd-diagnosis-twitterukk_64621f2fe4b018d846bf19ee/

Forgot to include the picture 🥴