Help! Adult ADHD Assessment

[LittleMissTwix]

Hi all - Looking for a bit of advice/guidance from anyone who's been through an adult ADHD assessment.

I posted this under mental health but then found this board and it seemed like a better fit!

I've come to the conclusion I may well have ADHD... This was first suggested to me by my (frankly abusive) ex-partner and I refused to accept it as a possibility... however curiousity got the better of me. I've since read up on the symptoms and much as I hate to think he might be right about anything, it would explain a hell of a lot. I'm very uncomfortable with the idea that this might end up being my label, but equally... I think ADHD medication has the potential to save my health (I've been self-medicating with stimulants (ephedrine) for years having noticed this is the only way I can focus on anything/get anything done... and buying dodgy online pills from Canadian pharmacies is probably going to be the death of me).

So... I'm considering booking myself in for a private ADHD assessment (I know I could wait years on the NHS). Looking online, there are a huge number of clinics offering this, at wildly different pricepoints... and I'm struggling to identify which ones are legit.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone used a private clinic (I'm especially interested in ones that offer online consultations, because I'd struggle to find the time to travel for a f2f assessment) that they could recommend?
2. Do any of these assessments ever conclude that you DON'T have ADHD? I'm just getting the vibe that you're essentially paying for a positive diagnosis. Do they help identify any other issue(s) you might have, if it isn't ADHD?
3. Is there anything else I should know before proceeding? If I am diagnosed as ADHD, I wouldn't want a single person other than my GP to know about it. I'm conscious there might be a custody battle at some point in my future... is there any way my ex could get a court to access my medical records, and use it against me?

Any other guidance/insights appreciated. Thank you so much

I was assessed/diagnosed privately but I'm in NI and it was face-to-face. My GP recommended the Psychiatrist because they have a 'shared care' agreement with him, meaning I can get my medication via the NHS as long as I have a review with the Psychiatrist every 6 months. I don't know if it works the same in other parts of the UK or if shared care is available no matter who diagnoses it, but it's something to consider if you are wanting to try medication

There will certainly be people assessed who don't fit the criteria, but this is less likely to be the case with private assessments because they cost so much. Basically, few people are going to pay out that amount of money unless they're fairly sure they have ADHD

I've no idea about courts accessing medical records but I would like to think an ADHD diagnosis would not negatively affect a custody case

@kingsleysbootlicker Thank you! A future of paid-for private prescriptions is definitely something I'd like to avoid if possible, so really appreciate this pointer.

No problem 🙂 I'm still on the NHS Assessment waiting list too so that I can be reassessed by them at some point and cut out the Private Psych altogether. Because so many people (mostly women) are now needing private assessments, I'm actually hoping that the NHS might start accepting private ADHD diagnoses without a reassessment needed... that is what has happened here with the ASD service, although that's more straight forward as it doesn't require ongoing involvement with controlled medications