ADHD diagnosis in adults advice please

[trakto]

I think I might have it.

I've spoken to the GP who says it takes around two years for a referral.

I need help now! I want to be more productive at work. I just can't focus and procrastinate for hours.

I struggle in other areas too

Do most people medicate or are there other options ?

What about seeking a private diagnosis ? It looks expensive but I would do it to find out if I really help it and to get help.

Has anyone gone down this route and can give me some advice ?

Meds reduce my anxiety, which in turn helps me procrastinate less. My head is quieter and it's easier to focus.

No, they're not a magic bullet, but they do make a huge difference to me.

I work in an NHS ADHD clinic. I'd just caution before paying for a private assessment that for ADHD to be diagnosed your symptoms need to cause moderate to severe impairment either psychologically, emotionally, occupationally or educationally.

Unless you are experiencing significant emotional or mental distress, the description of your symptoms on here wouldn't be seen as moderate or severe by a clinician. (I am not saying that having good grades or doing well at work means you don't have ADHD... but you need to have symptoms at a clinical level)

If you don't have moderate to severe impairment, you might get a diagnosis via private provider with sub clinical symptoms but your assessment almost certainly wouldn't be accepted by a GP or NHS clinic if you wished to pursue meds, so you would be stuck paying thousands of pounds in review and prescription fees.

This is the situation I see many people in at the moment. Some of the private assessments I see aren't worth the paper they're written on.

Place marking

i would add that getting good grades is certainly not something that will exclude you from an ADHD diagnosis. I have really good academic results. This is in no way unusual especially in girls (I would point out that often grades get better the higher the level of education for several reasons)

The thing with ADHD is that the symptoms and issues it causes resonate with the entire population
I very much agree with this. I am almost certain that the way ADHD is currently assessed, I would get a diagnosis. Then what? I don't need a diagnosis to lessen my guilt. It makes no difference to those affected by my actions or lack of. Medication? It's no miracle. Those are drugs that significantly alter our brains and as such, with benefits come costs. It's a case of balancing what is of higher benefit.

Ultimately, I have coped with it so far without too much damage. I do believe there were opportunities available for me that were not accessible because of the impact of these ADHD traits, but I've accepted this. We all have various limitations to what we can achieve.

With age and better self awareness, I've learnt to minimise some impact of ADHD. It's demanding is tiring but I can do it. Some other areas, I can't seem to control well and it's become who I am and those close to me have accepted it.

I've also learnt that I can't blame everything on it. For instance, procrastination is very much linked to boredom. I don't half procrastinate dealing with matters of interests. I get bored easily, so always have to find ways to stimulate myself

I also acknowledge that ADHD has had some great benefits. I'm a very quick thinking and can assess situations quickly. It has been acknowledged and appreciated in my profession. It also means that when I manage to focus, I can undertake tasks very quickly.

All in all, I accept that I am who I am like everyone else. Some good, some not so good, some annoying, some valued. I work as much as I can on the not so good and that's that. A diagnosis will make no change to it and my life is overall settled enough so far not to want to lose the good for a chance to lose a bit of the bad.

@ploymus I agree with this. ADHD has affected my whole life to a huge degree. I’ve had no stability with jobs, relationships, emotions, with education. It’s not been fun.

I was diagnosed using the DIVA interview. It has the criteria and how severely each has affected your work/social/education etc. You can find it online to try and give yourself a sense of how much you are affected by ADHD. I also had a QB Check (which I wanted and paid for myself, more for curiosity). I was fully expecting to be predominantly inattentive but I came out combined with more impulsive/hyper traits which made sense in hindsight.

I’m medicated now but it’s not a cure. Titration is tough with side effects and getting the medication/dose right, but I will say it’s changed my life. I now have the “brain power” as such to build the right habits and a healthier life. It’s hard work with lots of reading, self reflection and effort. I’ve just returned to work for the first time in years and I couldn’t have done that without being diagnosed and medicated.

One thing I read about ADHD that made the most sense to me is that is a defect between the knowing and the doing. You can know as much as you can, but you can’t put that knowledge into action. For me, meds have bridged that gap, but like I said, it takes work too.

OP, have a look at Right to Choose with Psychiatry UK. I believe they’ve just opened their referrals again for NHS patients. I wish you the best of luck!

I 100% agree with this. I do have a diagnosis, but medication is not the answer (although it might help in severe situations) the answer is coming up with strategies to deal with its effects, it’s about recognising the positives. It’s about acknowledging it’s just who you are. It’s about accepting yourself and others accepting you.

Yes my ADHD has made my life incredibly difficult when I was younger I had some suicidal periods. But it’s all manageable with the right help.

I sympathise with everything you say. I married an autistic man who is ocd orderly. We are very good for each other. I make him have adventures and join the world and not put off fun forever. He reminds me to do everyday things I'd otherwise forget or he does them himself. he remembers bin night every week. I remember it about three times a year. But not even his patient advice over 30 years helps me to remember to put doorkeys in the same place each time I come home, or to keep my phone, spectacles, wallet etc in a set place so they are easy to find. It's exhausting.

OP – Even private diagnoses take forever. I booked in June this year with a respected clinic. My consultation is next january. It will cost about £850, I think. I can't remember. If you do choose to go private, shop around. You need a clinic whose medical opinion is ratified by NHS. That means, if the private clinic diagnoses you and recommends medication, you can take this outcome to an NHS GP and they will prescribe for you. Far cheaper than relying on private prescriptions.The NHS doesn't accept the diagnosis of all private clinics, only those it has approved.

I've got it. Tried meds but ended up getting kicked off titration because ADHD.

The diagnosis was the best thing for me. I'm so much nicer to myself. I used to be frustrated that I couldn't consistently give my 100% when I was hyper focused. I've since realised that no one can maintain that output. My 80% is someone else's 100%! Yes, I'm variable but it's interest or stress focused so I use different levers as my motivation now. I always hit deadlines and I can carry multiple projects.

Yes get a diagnosis but recognise attitude and lifestyle can be powerful ways to manage and excel with adhd. And I don't mean lists and structure I mean music for admin tasks, washing up watching a fave show, strategic caffeine and not beating yourself up for your brain chemistry!

Have a look at Psychiatry-UK, Right to Choose 😀 they open their books periodically and is done to NHS guidelines, the wait is less...oh, and it's free. Does require the support of a GP to send the form but you are very much entitled to consider assessment :) good luck.

Currently put forward to be assessed for ASC/ADHD - everyone's reason for late assessment is personal, but for me would offer closure that my struggles were not my 'fault', acknowledgement that I 'belong' somewhere and to access support to actually finish something 😉 the struggles are real. I have one child diagnosed and two on the pathway; it's not about the diagnosis exactly, but knowing that a group of difficulties gives a quick explanation without going into details - for my diagnosed child, it's means that even my GP changes his approach. I dream of accessing employment and being accommodated WITHOUT offering my life story 😉 (if you know, you know haha)

How old are you OP? Women with ADHD, even if they’ve “managed” until
then, often coming to a crisis point in peri-menopause.

This is not much help for an ADHD diagnosis, but have you tried getting a blood test whilst you wait for the ADHD appointment?

My friend described herself as a scatter brain, often forgetting things, not being able to concentrate and getting words muddled up. A blood test showed she had low iron and vitamin D. She said that the medication for that was a game changer.

Perhaps this is worth looking into whilst you’re on the ADHD waiting list?

So true,

Go private. Save and go. Avoid panorama clinics

Pay the money for a private assessment with a psychologist/psychiatrist

Get the medication

Then get them to transfer you to NHS

it's honestly life changing

Not all GPs recognise private diagnoses. Because they're not in anyway as thorough as nhs

Many psychologists and psychiatrists work for the NHS too - you just have to pick judiciously

www.effraclinic.co.uk is a good place to start - I recommend so many people there

I spent about 2,000 pounds on a diagnosis though I chose to take time over titration though I doubt that was necessary.
Even on medication it still seems advisable to watch diet and keep up exercise. Some things aren't 'cured' but being more aware and having fewer things to deal with on the medication makes life better ime.

Because they're not in anyway as thorough as nhs

I disagree. I took DD1 to see an NHS consultant psychiatrist privately, as an expert witness - he read a pile of professional reports on her and I had to do a big questionnaire on her before we went; he spent an hour and a half talking with her and me; then he did a load of research on her condition before producing a 20 page report for a court.

I took DD2 to see a NHS psychologist for an ADHD assessment.

There was no way on earth, anyone could say the private assessment was less thorough than the NHS one, bearing in mind it had to stand up in court!

I had a diagnosis recently and meds have changed my life in ways I couldn't have imagined. May not be that way for everyone but for me it's incredible. IMHO, private is the only way to go.

I paid around £850 and was seen within days by a psychiatrist with decades of experience diagnosing and treating women with ADHD. Professional and highly reputable - she was wonderful and the follow up has been seamless with a speedy referral to GP requesting a shared care agreement for future prescriptions.

Following diagnosis, I've had 3 monthly follow up appointments with 3 months of private prescriptions to get me on a stable dose before referral to GP - probably an addition £700 in total, but could be longer and more expensive depending how meds work for you. I was pretty straightforward. Going forward I expect either two or four annual private reviews at £140 a time alongside NHS prescriptions.

Very happy to recommend my psychiatrist if you PM me. All the best

In response to the PP, private assesments are identical to NHS ones. IDENTICAL questionnaires fed into the same system. IMO many private providers have far more specialist experience, but as with everything, choose carefully, check accreditation and background experience.

I'm not sure why people have such blind faith in the NHS as the gold standard when we all know they are overstretched, underfunded, prone to dreadful errors with a truly grim history when it comes to women and anything psychiatric.

No. Many aren't.

Dc are diagnosed via the global pathway on the NHS. It took months of CAMHS appointments with a variety of professionals, they had 1 to 1, they went into school for observations. There was a multi disciplinary panel ....

Two friends got got diagnosed without even seeing anyone face to face within a week. Now they are stuck as their GP won't accept it. It was nowhere near as thorough as the NHS and that's why many GPs refuse to recognise it.

Officially diagnosed 3 years ago. Now aged 60. I can’t take the standard meds and couldn’t get on with alternative.
I dare not tell work due to the massive stigma - even on here there are regular threads about how we are all making it up as an excuse for being lazy.

I paid privately but other than a little personal validation it hasn’t really helped having a diagnosis.

I have been diagnosed with it five years ago at 35. I haven't been able to get on massively with meds.

What has helped some for work: background noise (mynoise.net to play generic office noise or "music for concentration" on Youtube); Pomofocus (ADHDers often work well to tight deadlines, so you have to some how create that feeling for longer projects - I just plan one pomo at a time so as not to get overwhelmed); closing off my Teams and email window while I'm doing a Pomo (it still shows I'm online) to stop getting distracted if an email or message comes in; putting my phone in another room in the evening and trying to watch programmes or read a book instead of scrolling; more sleep (easier said than done); watching caffeine (lots of ADHDers relax with coffee, I don't so no more than two a day); exercise; blue light glasses for the computer (no idea why it helps); taking tyrosine in the morning (this may be a placebo effect as the science on it does not show a clear long-term benefit).

Sorry for the info dumping 🙃

How old are you OP? Women with ADHD, even if they’ve “managed” untilt hen, often coming to a crisis point in peri-menopause
Oh yesssssss! It made the transition hell and that led to significant changes in my life without even truly understanding what was going on.

I was always called '1000 volts' but I sure felt like it during that period and it's coming out of it that made look back and realised that I was I always considered just a quirk in my personality was a bit more than that. It's having to focus on managing the perimenopause that I've learnt, slowly, to manage the ADHD, or find a balance between what I can manage and what I have to accept. It is indeed very appeasing, so much that I'm starting to be chillier than a number of my family/friends which is a first. Practice and self awareness is key. Mindfulness has been very enlightening for me although it took two loads of sessions for it to finally click.