query about diagnosis process (NHS and/or private) for ADD/ADHD

[signandsingcarols]

Hi, pls can I pick brains.... I have been advising a friend about what might be useful info for a friend she is supporting, (yes I know that is very tenuous ) I have made the usual comments about stategies to use and resources that might help

I can talk about my experiences of the diagnosis process for ASD because of ds, but I am not sure about the following situation, and wanted to ask you 'wise women' how it sounded to you.

Basically her 'friends' are working and living abroad, (not a European country) homeschooling their dc who is 8yrs old. family believe he has ADD, they have been speaking to a psychologist in this country about their concerns and he has recommended coming home for a sabbatical couple of months seeing a pyschiatrist privately for a diagnosis and possibly medication...

(This what the friends are saying the pysch said, possibly not what he actually meant)

My question are;
Will a psychiatrist diagnose, and will he do that alone? (I know the ASD route is multi-disciplinary)
Will he do that in one visit, or is it more likely to be multiple visits for assessment and then report?
I know any medication would need medical Dr (so pysch or paed), but it be more useful to see Ed Psych instead?

If anyone has experience of private diagnosis, and / or ADD diagnosis NHS or otherwise if might help this family decide long they need to come back for, and who they need to see.

Many thanks!

thanks poulter...

couple of silly questions, have heard lots about her in different threads is she Psychologist or psychiatrist? and I am presuming she would need to see dc more than once to diagnose.

(I just get the feeling this family think they will arrive back in UK, see the psychiatrist for a quick appnt and come away with diagnosis and meds... , am trying to give them realistic idea of process and time frame, so they can make plans....

I home educate and have a private ADHD dx for dx (now 15). He already had a dx of ASD but I'd always suspected ADHD. School scuppered the NHS assessment by fibbing on the Conners forms so we went to a private psychiatrist.

After dx the consultant prescribed medication and once it was established that there were no side effects it was arranged to have repeat prescriptions supplied by the GP. We still see the consultant psych every few months for an update (email in between if there are any problems) but the GP has no real involvement in the management. Not sure how that would work if living abroad but with the case being overseen by a UK psychiatrist.

Assessment is straightforward for ADHD and only involves the Conners forms and case history/observation by the psychiatrist. That can be done in one meeting, plus a recall to go through the Conners findings.

The main difference I found was that NHS practitioners were very ticky-boxy in their approach, HAD to have input from school and frowned on home ed. The private consultant was happy to accept reports I had (some going back several years) from settings ds had attended and had significant problems (social groups mainly). I have tutors for some lessons and they provided written accounts of the attention difficulties he had when they worked together. It might be worth gathering together some written evidence and perhaps a personal diary before they come back to UK, as well as making arrangements to see a psych when they get here.

thanks guys that's really useful, can pass on that info and it will really help them to prepare.

knew you wise women would hold the answer!