ADHD assessment

[Amber17]

So I have an assessment with Psychiatry UK soon and I have no idea what it involves. Can anyone who's been through it tell me? How long does it last? It's been over a year since I first spoke to my GP about getting assessed so I'm now feeling really stressed about it finally happening and would feel a lot better if I knew exactly what was going to be involved!

My daughter who was 18 was sent questionnaires to complete. I also had to fill one in as someone who knows her week. She had a phone appointment following this after which a diagnosis was made. About 4 months later they posted her some Ritilin and told her to start!

@vdbfamily Thanks for replying! Yep I've done the questionnaires as has my mum. What happened during the phone appointment? Did they just go over the same sort of questions?

My assessment for ADHD, which was during the summer 2021, was a face to face appointment. The appointment lasted about 90 minutes and during this time I was asked and answered loads of questions. I wasn't sent a questionnaire beforehand.

I didn't find the ADHD assessment appointment anywhere near as daunting as the ASD assessment appointments (multiple assessment appointments for ASD, one assessment appointment for ADHD)

I came here to ask the exact same thing OP! I did all of the online forms last summer, and was happily waiting for the zoom appt in May. Then they rang me last week to offer me an appointment next week, to which I said yes, but now I feel so worried about it all! It feels like so much is hinging on having it confirmed that I have ADHD, as in if I don't have it then I have to go back to my previous mindset of being totally useless. Anyway, sorry, didn't mean to derail!

Is it a checklist @Clarice99 for the questions?

I’m interested in this. I thought comorbid conditions would be diagnosed as part of the autism assessment but apparently not. But I’m worried if I’m assessed for ADHD they’ll push me to take drugs and I don’t want them.

@PangoPurrl

I came here to ask the exact same thing OP! I did all of the online forms last summer, and was happily waiting for the zoom appt in May. Then they rang me last week to offer me an appointment next week, to which I said yes, but now I feel so worried about it all! It feels like so much is hinging on having it confirmed that I have ADHD, as in if I don't have it then I have to go back to my previous mindset of being totally useless. Anyway, sorry, didn't mean to derail!

Is it a checklist @Clarice99 for the questions?

There was a list which the assessor was marking as she asked questions, but due to a level of 'social distancing' at the appointment, I couldn't read it.

Also, she asked me to elaborate on some answers to the questions - i.e. 'tell me more about that bit' and she took quite a lot of notes during the appointment too.

@MaggieMooh

I’m interested in this. I thought comorbid conditions would be diagnosed as part of the autism assessment but apparently not. But I’m worried if I’m assessed for ADHD they’ll push me to take drugs and I don’t want them.

I wasn't assessed for anything other than autism at my autism assessment(s).

My ADHD assessment came years later. My diagnosis for ADHD is relatively new, summer 2021, and every clinician I've seen about ADHD has made it very clear that the choice is mine whether to take medication. There's been zero pushing.

@PangoPurrl Exactly my situation!!! Have had the May appointment booked since like autumn and then had the phone call offering it this week - I assume they've gained some new staff. And yes, that fear of 'well if it isn't adhd... i'm just rather lazy'. Hope yours go well!

Thanks @Clarice99 I was hoping it was a checklist but with room for exploration as I feel like I have 'classic' symptoms but also don't fit others, as do most people I guess!

Oh crikey @Amber17 that's amazing! I know it's a good thing but after waiting for so long it now feels like it's hurtling towards me and I'm not prepared! The whole 'chronic underachiever' thing has been the story of my life, and I'm sure I'm not going to suddenly stop having negative feelings towards myself about being lazy/directionless, but it feels like a diagnosis will give me the right tools to approach things better. Eek! Best of luck with your assessment and whatever comes next!

I'm the opposite @MaggieMooh in that I feel like medication would maybe really help me, but I'm scared that they won't let me try them!!

So I had my assessment today. It was a 50 minute chat - how I'd first thought I might have ADHD, what signs I had in childhood, how it affects me now, any psychiatric history either personally or in the family. The psychiatrist was really nice, explained everything really well - the whole thing is to check that you meet the DSM-5 criteria, that it was present in childhood not just as an adult, and that there's no other psychiatric diagnosis that would otherwise explain the symptoms.

Now I have the 2-3 month wait for the medication service to get in touch about a first prescription! But it was clear there were lots of options if I hadn't wanted to go down the medication route, they recommended some books and ADHD coaching.

I have my assessment next month - did they say why it would take 3 months for the medication service to contact you?

I think just a backlog of patients at the moment.