To think most online adult ADHD diagnoses are bullshit?

[OptimismvsRealism]

(I have ADHD btw.)

I know it can manifest in different ways but all these neat ladies organising multiple events a day and keeping a perfect home do not have it. They just paid £600 to Adhd-4-u and (to everyone's suprise !) came out with a diagnosis.

I don't think anyone these days can accept that life is hard and they just have a mediocre intellect.

I never tell anyone about my diagnosis now because it's embarrassing to be lumped in with the buy your own amphetamine prescription brigade.

I think the market should be regulated as there are a lot of unscrupulous practitioners out there.

Anyway I don't need to spend my day arguing with someone. You think what you like but I know what I know. And that's all that matters.

@Tw33dleD33

Exactly. Executive dysfunction has fuck all correlation with academic ability. It just makes it twice as hard to get there because of all the obstacles your brain throws up.

My opionion for what its worth, is that the current push/trend for diagnosis is taking something away from the very real struggles many with ADHD have. Now 14 years ago my son was picked up as having some issues and was referred by the school to the paediatrican and occupational therapist. He had a number of interventions and used to have things like wobble cushions to sit on in school, writting sloes, pen grips etc, and learnt to touch type in primary school as handwritting was and still is a big issue, there did seam to be an initial relcutance to label, he got rerefrered 18 months later again to paediatrican and occupational health and I was told that alomost certainly ADHD possibly other issues and they wanted to refer on to speach and language therapist for a diagnosis. I decided at the time I didn't want him labelled so never followed up any further (I do now regret that decion, though not sure the outcome would have been any different). We have ADHD/autism in wider family, some diagnosed and some not, one who was quite severe overdosed on meds at 21 and died, another (not in UK) was refused to be allowed in school, without medication, so was homeschooled for a few years. I couldn't bare the thought of medicated my young son which was my reluctance for diagnosis. Instead of a label we worked on strategies for his differences. Diagnosis of anything isn't and shouldn't be a get out of jail free card when things get tough. He has recently had an educational psychologist diagnosis of ADHD and dyslexia whilst at Uni, it was clear during his first year he was sinking, the diagnosis provides some specialist software and laptop to help with his studies, and there is avaialablity for mentoring to help with organisation. But ultimately despite any label he has to work on strategies to get through life.
As an aside my husband and family are convinved I also have adhd, and when I do all the tests I score very highly, I wont be seeking a disgnosis as what is the point in my late 40s?, thankfully these days I run a business so don't have a boss to answer too which helps when I am struggling. I do and always have struggled with different aspects of life, but do you know what everyone has different struggles they have to face.

While NHS waiting lists for adults are 5 years plus people are going to go private.

I appreciate you may not like it but NHS provision in this area is basically non-existent.

I do agree that the market for private diagnosis is a Wild West of quality. There are a lot of fast buck seekers exploiting the crisis in NHS care. I think YABU though if you think many people seek support for these things without real foundation. People paying for diagnosis are normally desperate and in a personal crisis themselves. I believe that rates of ADHD and ASD have been systemically under reported in prior generations.

My diagnosis in my 50s and the subsequent NHS group therapy I received has been hugely helpful.

The MH struggles ADHD can cause can be huge, many can’t just get on with it. It’s not about manning up.

Lucky you that your son was identified. 14 years ago my daughter was missed because of outdated views as to how ADHD presents in girls. Several attempts on her life and severe MH struggles later needing admission over and again she finally knows why she struggles and getting the treatment she needs.

Thankfully we are better informed now, probably down to a lot of parents pushing. Parents need to push a lot! I should have pushed more.

ADHD is often comorbid with autism or dyslexia and other diagnosis. Each person with adhd is different.

I think that you should stop being ableist and judgemental.

My daughter's private assessment was gruelling. It then got transferred to shared care which was complex and tough. Her NHS psychiatrist has agreed that she would not have half the MH problems that she has now if she'd had a diagnosis earlier.

There will be charlatans out there, but your post is awful. Just awful.

Someone else getting a diagnosis doesn't lessen your own diagnosis or struggle.

I don't have ADHD but I do have another mental health condition that is currently 'trendy', so I get it. But at the same time, I can appreciate the sunlight it's currently getting and hope that mass diagnosis means that treatments and accommodations will become more accessible to the average person.

I don't think anyone these days can accept that life is hard and they just have a mediocre intellect.

What does intellect have to do with it? :/

That first bit was supposed to be a quote

I work in MH and the nhs ax is a much fuller, more intense assessment. There's no way that most people can be completely unbiased when reporting their symptoms. That's why collateral information is so important, such as from a parent or school reports. My own child has been on the waiting list for so long, but I'm not bothered about a diagnosis. We have an EHCP, what does the piece of paper mean. Everything should focus on 'need' not diagnosis. I don't think most kids 'need' the support but certain parents just think they deserve it. Why would I apply for DLA? My daughter's autism isn't necessarily costly, neither is it something that money can 'solve'. It will get to the point where autism and adhd will become meaningless, places are already having to limit disabled spaces in theme parks as so many people want the short queues etc, regardless of whether their child actually needs it.
If we reframe it to 'what do you need?' Rather than 'what diagnosis do you have?' then it will separate the more acute presentations from those who can mostly cope.

DLA is also based on need.

Some autistic children won't have the same needs as other autistic children and therefore would not qualify for the medium or higher rates or even the lower rates, however if your daughter is entitled to any, even the lower rates, this will benefit her and you.

There are hidden costs with being autistic. Needing taxis because buses are too much stimuli, needing to buy branded super noodles because unbranded ones are too unpredictable, strictly only eating mcdonalds chicken nuggets despite any best efforts to find replicas. These are just a few that we have. We call it the autism tax.

By definition if your daughter is autistic she will have the triad of impairments which ultimately do mean additional costs associated with helping her lead a normal life.

Her needs might be accommodated right now, which is wonderful and just shows what an amazing job you're doing, but it's easy to not realise at what cost to you meeting those needs impacts if that's always been your norm.

Whether you do apply or not is entirely up to you. I just didn't want you to miss on something you might be entitled to.

Wait, what now?
Are you aware that ADHD/ASD are not learning disabilities? They have absolutely nothing to do with intelligence. Yes, many people will have dual diagnosis but not every person who is ND is also LD. Reminds me of a nurse I used to work with who said "he can't have autism, he is very articulate and intelligent". What a knobhead...
I am autistic but am perfectly intelligent. Not a genius but not struggling either. I don't really feel the need to tell anyone at work about my diagnosis because it doesn't affect the work I do (because I chose this job based on my needs). My diagnosis was beneficial to me because it allowed me to understand my needs better. I am not "a bit thick" just because I can't cope with loud noises or last-minute change in plans. Funny how working in a quiet environment and having autonomy over my diary suddenly made me less thick...

It's linked to intelligence because a lot of middle class professionals want to believe they're incredibly clever "it's just so much harder for me to get there - I struggle with what others find easy!"

It's a very convenient excuse for people who feel bad about their unexceptional wit.

This is not the same as denying it exists (obviously). But it doesn't exist in most of the breathless excited online diagnosed.

I think you're absolutely incredible for being able to sit behind a screen and telling everyone they have or haven't got it. That's some talent that.

It’s not linked to intelligence though.

Do you actually know the symptoms?

As in the op I have a (not online) diagnosis so yes. And of course it's linked to people's perceptions of their intelligence if they believe ADHD is why they couldn't study for exams.

In the professional world I have found you work out quite quickly who is a super brain and who is a chugger and, since this trend kicked off, a lot of the chuggers are miraculously finding that they were super brains all along they just struggled harder.

Then they take prescribed speed and are amazed when it makes them feel pleasant.

I'm sure I have ADHD but I paid one of the places you mention and they told me I didn't hit the diagnostic criteria. They're still psychiatrists, and would prescribe meds if diagnosed, so they can't just make it up.

I don't believe you tbh! It's pretty impossible not to get a tick because most of the symptoms are universal and it's just a question of subjective assessment of severity.

My gp friend says the same, private providers, even those contracted by the nhs have 100% diagnosis rates in his experience, in fact the only person he knows he failed to be diagnosed was diagnosed with schizophrenia instead! Autism he said was the same, they are contracting out children as well here, rates are running at 25% in some schools where the parents can afford to pay.

He is not trusting of any diagnosis made after age 6.

You're honestly something else! Your way or no way!

Struggling to study for exams isn’t going to get you a diagnosis.

Many many people don’t go on to have Speed. Managing impulsivity and emotions, the noise in our heads are focused on a lot in my NHS group therapy. Many people are diagnosed on the back of an autism diagnosis and they overlap.

I'm not against private diagnosis.

Shared care and shared titration with the NHS are not something NHS GPs have to accept, and whether shared titration is accepted or whether its entirely funded privately there are still guidelines that have to be followed to ensure that medication is prescribed safely.

I do think both ADHD and autism are underdiagnosed. I have an NHS autism diagnosis, but I don't have anything against people who seek a private diagnosis. I don't think their struggles are any less valid than mine. To claim any sort of benefit they would have to have substantial evidence to prove each of their struggles so I don't think people who have a private diagnosis are taking from the general public either.

I also think that private diagnosis for ADHD, especially for women is very beneficial. For a very long time neurodivergence in women has been ignored, misunderstood and misrepresented. Private diagnosis often offers follow up care options that NHS diagnoses do not.

I think it's wonderful that people are more in tune with their needs and mental health and a huge benefit is recognising that they may need reasonable adjustments at workplaces or in other professional settings.

As other PPs have mentioned, ADHD and autism are not learning disabilities. They're neurodevelopmental disorders. This means it doesn't impact anybodies intelligence however the way their brain works will impact how they access resources to education or their learning styles. This means saying that they need to accept they're "a bit thick" is offensive. It's not meant in any other way. It's meant to be inflammatory, and it shows your privileged position to have received an NHS diagnosis.

It's also important to note that ADHD has many presentations, typically inattentive, hyperactive and combination. Each presentation by definition will present differently. Some people outwardly show their struggles, some people internalise their struggles and some present in both ways.

I do think that in some cases of NHS diagnosis this is actually overlooked. It's very similar to holding women to male autistic standards and you're not always fortunate enough to have an assessor who understands masking plays a huge part for women, just the same as you're not always likely to have an assessor who doesn't have a rigid idea that ADHD isn't always physically flitting from one thing to the next leaving a streak of chaos as you go, but is a huge disorganisation of the mind instead.

Can you share evidence?...without it your post looks like complete bullshit.

Congratulations on your diagnosis and the fact it has enabled you to diagnose others while demonstrating zero knowledge of the condition - that's quite a win. I wonder why you aren't telling people in real life, what with you being one of the 'real' ones (and not just someone with a scruffy home)

Thanks from someone with AuDHD, a tidy home, multiple activities organised & academically gifted - go me, big faker.