Adult ADHD please help

[NotAPanda]

NC'ed fir this
Hi, I know loads of threads on this topic but I've got some very specific questions and Google's sent me on a wild goose chase.. so apologies.
Suspect I have adult ADHD so got a GP appointment through private medical scheme at work (this isn't my regular GP).
GP has given me an open referral - the trouble is I don't know how this is supposed to be used to get a diagnosis??
I have googled specialists in my area and all of them say something like 'you need a referral from your REGISTERED GP to a specific specialist'... nothing about an open referral?
Also I'm willing to pay for a private diagnosis but there's no clear information as to whether this gives me any legal standing (e.g. right to ask for adjustments).
I have spent several months reading up online and this has helped me a lot but I NEED that official piece of paper so that I can persuade the people around me to let me get on with making the necessary adjustments and not calling me crazy, precious, lazy etc etc.
I am aware I am very lucky in that I can pay for a private assessment but I don't want to go through the whole process only to find out that anything not done via our darling NHS is not valid.
Sorry if I sound angry but unlike others I am aware that I am lucky in several respects.. good uni degree, good job , in all honesty I would be happy to carry on without a diagnosis but without one my family etc think I'm making a big fuss out of nothing when I try to schedule every detail of my life including houseworks, don't understand why the smallest noise and distraction is very very frustrating... I have just about managed to hang out but at this rate I am very behind in all my work and if not found out and fired now will certainly be first in line.

I went private for something else and my GP referral was just to provide my relevant info I guess. There will be info by the private health provider you choose about referral and what email address to send to.

Are you in England? As you can go via right to choose with a private company if they've an NHS contract. psychiatry-uk.com/right-to-choose/
I did this and it was same as going private with them but the CCG were footing the bill. The problem is more that its not just the assessment fee but if you opt for medication there's titration & prescription costs and if your GP refuses to accept shared care agreement or back on long waiting list for NHS ADHD team can be left footing the full costs of the medication long-term which is expensive.

I don't know if it makes a difference NHS v private diagnosis for workplace. There is an access to work scheme which I think can get help with coaching. There is loads of free coaching advice & podcasts etc that can help with learning better ways of doing things to work with the ADHD brain. I'll find some links as I usually end up losing post trying to paste.

I don't know about the referral process, I was dx through The Priory, it was expensive and sorting out medication particularly so, about £120 a month until I got a shared care agreement.

The Equalities Act us deliberately very general in it's disability section, it doesn't list protected disabilities or require official paperwork, but has a definition of disability that requires reasonable adjustments. Something like 'significant more difficulty in day to day activities than the majority of the population'

I've never really found a reasonable adjustment that would help me. Medication has been useful though.

@Midnightmunchi

I went private for something else and my GP referral was just to provide my relevant info I guess. There will be info by the private health provider you choose about referral and what email address to send to.

Are you in England? As you can go via right to choose with a private company if they've an NHS contract. psychiatry-uk.com/right-to-choose/
I did this and it was same as going private with them but the CCG were footing the bill. The problem is more that its not just the assessment fee but if you opt for medication there's titration & prescription costs and if your GP refuses to accept shared care agreement or back on long waiting list for NHS ADHD team can be left footing the full costs of the medication long-term which is expensive.

I don't know if it makes a difference NHS v private diagnosis for workplace. There is an access to work scheme which I think can get help with coaching. There is loads of free coaching advice & podcasts etc that can help with learning better ways of doing things to work with the ADHD brain. I'll find some links as I usually end up losing post trying to paste.

Thanks - I will email them and ask! Will appreciate links as well! Tbh all the info I have found has been quite helpful in managing - at the rate I'm going I think I can manage without medication. At the days in which I manage to get things done in my natural pattern I have been very productive. The problem is that without an official diagnosis the people around me thing I'm being unreasonable, faffy and lazy (e.g. i am strict on schedules as I will flit otherwise, family think i'm being a control freak ). At work my manager has made adjustments for autistic colleagues so he should for me to. But WITHOUT a diagnosis I just sound like a random whiny person! All I need is that piece of paper for people to pay attention and not tell me to shut up, try harder. I AM trying bloody hard.

@wonderstuff

I don't know about the referral process, I was dx through The Priory, it was expensive and sorting out medication particularly so, about £120 a month until I got a shared care agreement.

The Equalities Act us deliberately very general in it's disability section, it doesn't list protected disabilities or require official paperwork, but has a definition of disability that requires reasonable adjustments. Something like 'significant more difficulty in day to day activities than the majority of the population'

I've never really found a reasonable adjustment that would help me. Medication has been useful though.

thanks wonderstuff - if I may ask did you compare different providers? I see a few cheaper ones like psychiatry UK which cost half that of the Priory - but the appointment is under an hour. That doesn't sound like enough time... and then there's ADHD direct which is double the price. I don't know what the difference is..?

I've literally been diagnosed this morning via psychiatry uk!
Paid for the consultation because my GP refused to pay via right to choose and I didn't have the energy to fight it. Going to pay for titration of medication for the same reason but once I'm on stable medication it will be referred back to the GP for a shared care agreement for them to prescribe the meds on the NHS.
Private diagnosis is the same as NHS validity wise.

Its an hour with Psychiatry-UK as they collect a lot of information beforehand via forms (one for yourself and also someone that knows you well (partner, family, friend, colleague) which they read prior to your appointment. During they ask about life history and rule out other conditions, then have time to discuss treatment, generally fairly multimodal works best with lifestyle changes, coaching, meds (there's stimulant & non stimulants).

Most adults if not due to their child being diagnosed have self-diagnosed and gone through shit tonne of research before even raising it with a GP for referral.

www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/adults/

aadduk.org/

www.tracyotsuka.com/podcast

blog.feedspot.com/adhd_podcasts/
Podcasts usually have list of past show topics so can pic out what's of interest

totallyadd.com/
www.additudemag.com/ articles, podcast & free webinars

www.addclasses.com/ the freebie classes change each month

Lots on YouTube & support groups on Facebook also.