Adult ADHD Assessment process?

[doublethelove]

I'll try to make it brief but I was just wondering does anybody have experience of adult assessment for ADHD and the general process? I was referred by my GP to the mental health team in January then had an appointment at the hospital in February with a doctor and nurse. They asked if there was anybody who knew me as a child who could answer some questions but there isn't so they said they would be in touch. I got a letter yesterday that just has details of another appointment with the same doctor and nurse but this time it's at the health centre which is where my GP surgery is. There's no other info on the letter except the date (which is in a couple of weeks), time and location. Does anybody know if this is likely to be because my GP will join the appointment and I'm going to get a diagnosis of ADHD? There's no mental health clinic that runs at the health centre or anything like that. I will phone tomorrow to ask for more details but I'm just a little impatient so was looking for other people's experiences!

You can ask for an adult ADHD assessment at any time. Some GP’s are good about this, some try and con you off. You may need to push it.

You can be referred to your local NHS service (if there is one). The positives of this are, it’s free and your GP will accept the findings and will very likely take over prescribing medication that they suggest. The negatives are that waiting lists are long. 2 years at a conservative estimate but I’ve heard as long as 5 years.

You can ask to go through a private company which has an NHS contract through something called “right to choose”. Psychiatry UK is a popular one. Pros are it’s free and it’s quicker than most NHS services. Because it’s a provider with an NHS contract your GP is likely to take over prescribing (it’s called a shared care agreement) but I have heard of some GPs being difficult about this. Negatives are that they are quite booked up and you are still looking at a wait.

You can go completely private which will be a quick diagnosis but there is a chance that your GP might not accept the diagnosis and might not agreed to take over the prescribing of medication after you are stabilised (post titration)meaning you will have to pay for it yourself. Most GPs are reasonable and do recognise the probate diagnosis but some don’t sl you take that risk.

In terms of diagnosis itself you are assessed against the DSM criteria and usually the DIVA.

It's because they send out questionnaires. I've been trying to find people to complete these for my daughter so hopefully the next stage is an actual appointment.

Sorry I don't think I've explained myself properly in my first post. I've had my ADHD assessment at the hospital with the mental health team. That was in February. They asked about family members who could help with info about my childhood but I had nobody so they said that was fine. I now have a second appointment but this time it's at the health centre rather than the hospital but it's with the same doctor and nurse who did my ADHD assessment at the hospital. I was just wondering if anybody had any idea why it would be there and if there's a possibility it might mean they've decided to diagnose me with ADHD and the reason for meeting at the health centre this time was to involve my GP, possibly to prescribe medication. It just seemed a bit odd. Just in case anybody has had a similar experience. I guess I'm trying to figure out if I'm getting a diagnosis or not even though I know nobody here could tell me that!

What was the outcome of this?