Panorama Private ADHD clinics exposed

[Youdoyoubabe]

Nothing surprising there really but good to highlight it on national television. Everyone has some characteristics of ADHD.

four of my kids friends are diagnosed privately; I think only one of them has it. The rest just don't fit in at school.
there's a cache to it now

i was diagnosed as an adult privately (by a psychiatrist with a specialism in adhd) but self diagnosed 15 years ago. I was shocked how readily I was prescribed drugs, particularly as I'd said before the consultation that I didn't want drugs (I didn't take up the prescription). I was skeptical about the consultation although it was two hours long and much better and more thorough than anything on panorama.

i no longer tell people I think I have adhd as it's embarrassing to feel like I'm on a bandwagon!

I read the BBC article that he wrote before the programme aired, which gave a lot more detail. What I wish they'd included in the Panorama programme (as I think it gives a much stronger context for what he was trying to say) is that as part of his 3 hour NHS assessment he divulged that when he was younger he'd witnessed two of his sisters get hit by a car; one survived but the other sadly didn't. The psychiatrist assessing him for ADHD concluded that the symptoms he was experiencing (restlessness, distractibility, anxiety etc) were explainable as a very understandable reaction to trauma, not ADHD.

In my line of work it's widely acknowledged that there is a very real proportion of people who are quickly diagnosed with ADHD when actually trauma is the better fitting explanation for their 'symptoms' (for want of a better word) that they experience. No one is questioning that this population of people are genuinely struggling or experiencing the things that they report, but in these circumstances it's unhelpful to label their experience as something else. In these cases I think that the result is pathologising a completely understandable reaction.

People go private, the Consultant gives them a prescription recommendation to go to the GP to get the medication for free. This is for run of the mill medication e.g. ongoing pain relief after an operation. After the initial private consultation the patient more often than not goes on or continues with the NHS pathway.

I think most of us would like proper assessment and treatment within the nhs. The actual story here is of an underresourced nhs - which definitely is rationing assessment and diagnosis - leading to people having to seek private alternatives. And lack of proper oversight enabling unscrupulous firms to exploit that.

Of course the NHS is underfunded but lots of people are simply ignoring what they are being told. They don’t meet the criteria for diagnosis. They then say things like ‘I’m not a typical case’, ‘its misunderstood’, all other manner of moving the goalposts of diagnosis because they have decided they have it and that’s that. Step in ‘pay for diagnosis’ companies. The NHS can’t possibly assess everyone who thinks they might have adhd, just as they can’t scan everyone who shows up thinking they might have X, Y and Z even though they aren’t showing symptoms of XYZ. they have to filter based on need.

I know many young people who have dyslexia, apparently. My kid has two friends in her class who regularly score the very top marks in the humanities / English without additional help but also have privately diagnosed dyslexia which gives them extra time and a computer in exams. It's perceived as deeply unfair by a lot of the other kids.

@FancyasFuck Lots of people here on this thread taking it personally thinking the programme is attacking them. It is not.

The opening post of the thread states 'Nothing surprising there really but good to highlight it on national television. Everyone has some characteristics of ADHD.'

The programme is helping to perpetuate views such as this, as is evidenced by many comments here and on a parallel thread on the same show

It is damaging to people with ADHD. I am confident in my private diagnosis. I had no childhood trauma, it's been evident since childhood and shown through every single end of term school report. But it was the 80s/90s, I was a girl, and was raised in a tiny developing island so I was just 'disruptive' to teachers and 'disappointing' to my parents.

They could highlight the shoddy work of SOME private clinics while also showing the difficulties faced by getting diagnosed on the NHS.

@MrsMariaReynolds do you mind me asking, I've seen a few people say they ensures that their clinic complied with NICE guidelines. How can I find this out please? As in, how can I find out if a clinic does the same? Thank you

I do feel need to disagree with part of it. My husband didn't believe in ADHD until one day I realised that I have it and put the list of symptoms in front of him.

Yes, there are people who run out of ideas how to parent their children or how to organise their life in a busy modern world. But the proper diagnosis process can be trusted.

ADHD is largely inherited from family genes. Not anyone can show their problem and being diagnosed without have to show them have most of the symptoms and severe enough to impact their life.

But I mean the proper process. After having read previous posts again, I now see people are feeling being undermined by this "investigation" and feeling being subjected to unspoken discrimination.

But I think I care more about what this would have done for the future parents or adults who have other issues that could avoid being misdiagnosed and given the wrong solution for their issues. Those private clinics need more scrutiny and their practices have to follow the strict rules and guidelines to protect patients.

I don't know what people truly want. Do those who complain about the program want these private clinics continue with their irresponsible ways of handling mental health of vulnerable people?

I do apologise for previously saying only psychiatrist can diagnose. As some pointed out, psychologist can do to, but can't prescribe. I got it mixed up and hence apologise.

Yet another of the 'only stupid kid can have learning disabilities' bollocks

None of the 'every kid should have the opportunity to reach their full potential with adjustments made for their needs'.

It's just pure jealousy. God forbid kids can be bright and work hard despite obstacles that others don't face.

It boils my piss.

DH was diagnosed with dyslexia age 18. He has issues despite being super bright.

What do I want?

I think my post at 9.31 covers my objections to the programme and what needs to be done...

What have I missed out that you don't understand?

I wish the best luck to those whoever want to fix the NHS and get the whole system into a perfect state as you suggested. I do.

But I also want those private clinics get exposed and more to fear if their I'll practice driven by greed would be made public and lose their licence. Desperate parents and adults with mental health issues can be alarmed to be cautious. So for this part, I think this program did the job.

Far from perfect and their slogan "everyone ADHD characteristics" is shameful. But I think perfection these days are rare

@Advicerequest
four of my kids friends are diagnosed privately; I think only one of them has it. The rest just don't fit in at school.

Oh -how glib!
I didn’t fit in at school - or at the myriad of jobs I’ve had over the years. And you know what? It’s not because I am a ?snob, or I have no sense of humour, or I have a long miserable face, or because people just don’t like me …..- it’s because I can’t recognise social cues because of adhd - but hey let’s just leave those kids feeling left out and lonely - they just need to get on with it !!

The diagnosis was like a cloud lifting from my shoulders - there is NOTHING wrong with me - unless you think having adhd is some evil thing!

their ill practice

The narrative was that you seek diagnosis after seeing shit on tiktok

The reality is a total lack of consistent handling of ADHD diagnosis between council areas / go practices leading to a postcode lottery. This is driven by poor training on ADHD and inadequate guidelines on how to handle ADHD.

What is needed is a system that is universal across the country - so that the school in the next borough 2 miles away is using the same system as my son's. So that I have faith that he is being treated fairly and not victim of a system which allocated a set budget for ADHD support and when you go over that, you stop approving diagnosis because 'its not having enough impact' in some nonsense distinction that isn't the same in the next council area.

If you get rid of the lack of trust in the NHS because of this lottery you'd undermine the premise of a lot of the demand for private is coming from.

This isn't as hard as people make out to do. It's councils wanting to clinge to the power of their not exceeding their budgets and a lack of funding for genuine health issues that's the issue. Fund it properly and you will save money out the back end because earlier intervention -which doesn't necessarily mean drugs (quite the opposite, it means you are perhaps able to cope without drugs due to better support) - means less chronic complications cause by untreated conditions.

I am angry at the idea that we can't have a NATIONAL system which isn't as disjointed and so patchy depending on your postcode. That's bollocks. There is just a lack of political will to do anything about it. As bloody usual.

Reality private diagnosis is driven by poor trust in the NHS and inconsistent practice and massive waiting lists which drive desperation.

Not tiktok.

They don't see the connection

I didn't fit in at school
I found it very boring
it didn't fit my learning style
i was threatened with expulsion multiple times
I zoned out continually
apparently I have adhd
but I also think that the school structure doesn't fit my learning style

I agree. It’s so infuriating.

My DD has dyslexia. She had a private assessment, due to staff sickness/covid, etc she left high school and in our area, NHS don’t find dyslexia assessments post 16.

She has significant issues, but still manages to get distinctions in her college course (can’t pass her maths GCSE for love nor money though).

She has dyslexia, she’s not incapable of learning, she learns differently. Now those differences are known and supported, she’s doing brilliantly.

Im sure this shit is just jealousy. People see her getting something (reasonable adjustments, extra time) they’re not.

My DD also has Tourette’s and she had a scribe and extra time in her GCSEs and a so called friend kicked off and accused us of cheating.

DD is also in the middle of an ADHD assessment at the moment - at a private clinic (not one of the ones in the programme) having been referred there by CAMHS, because in our area all ADHD and ASD assessments are outsourced to them at present

@Spidey66 This maybe controversial, especially as I'm not a parent, let alone of a child with ADHD, but if I had a child with this diagnosis, I would not be happy for them to go on such medication. I think they're far too powerful for a child. But that's just my opinion and i know its not one that everyone agrees with

It’s not controversial, it just shows a lack of depth in your thought process. It also indicates why you are not a prescriber of such meds as prescribers don’t use blanket approaches like this. I’m a Dr and quite familiar with these meds but the area is not my specialty and I would not deem it appropriate to have such an opinion (even personally myself), unless it was my area of specialty.

Prescribing of anything is based on benefit/risk. It may be, that in some cases the prescribing to some paeds/adolescents is unlikely to tip the scales into the benefit side, and there are ways you can determine this when assessing prescribing of stimulants for ADHD. In other cases the scales may be well tipped in favour of benefit over risk. It’s all very individual based on expected outcomes for that individual, which differs greatly between individuals. Also, as with any medicines, there is great variation between individuals in regards to any potential side effects. Some people tolerate really well with zero issues and never will have any, some people will not be a fit and some lie somewhere along the scale. To make these sweeping statements of being ‘far too powerful for children’ (even though dose range is huge I may add), is not helpful and not well thought out. If you are seeing untoward outcomes in all kids I would then point the finger at the particular prescriber as in this area a good one should be shit hot at dose adjusting to optimise for all individuals along their life cycle, although I do admit there seem to be a few dodgy Rog’s out there I would never recommend anyone getting these meds prescribed should see as they aren’t that great. I certainly hope you don’t counsel patients in a pharmacological sense.

Whenever any celebrity came out saying they had ADHD, we'd brace ourselves in the clinic because we knew there'd be an influx of referrals to go through.

I'm sure TikTok and other social media is having a massive impact on the number of people seeking assessment. The numbers of people seeking assessment have grown so dramatically (despite everyone being told waiting lists are long) the last few years something is driving it. And its naive to think the promotion, of popular topics, sheer amount of misinformation and armchair diagnoses circling round in the media aren't playing a part.

Everyone knows how influenced people are by the media they consume. If we have a growing issue of thousands of thousands of children and fewer adults thinking they are trans or binary because of how it's been publicised and how it's promoted and discussed on social media then why wouldn't that be the same for ADHD? Or any other condition?

For some people seeking diagnosis it's because they genuinely have ADHD. For some, no they don't. For those who have the cash they go private and this programme highlighted how very easy it can be to get a diagnosis and controlled drugs so long as you can pay for it.

Those of us working in the area have been shouting about it for years and it's good it's finally getting attention.

@Spidey66 lucky you, you are singularly unqualified to have an opinion on medicating significant life changing symptoms

@Advicerequest who says you have adhd? Do you mean that’s your takeaway from the panorama program?
This isn’t how adhd is diagnosed either in private clinics or on the nhs. Are you will fully ignoring all the posts explaining this?

For me the answers and relief provided by an ADHD diagnosis have been immense. I have spent over half my life being misdiagnosed with depression and bipolar.

This meant I was prescribed very high dosages of anti psychotic medication which ultimately led to me making the decision to not have children. I was terrified of coming off the medication and the effects it would have on me also combined with a pregnancy.

In actual fact I came off the medication relatively easily last year after I was told by an NHS psychiatrist that I didn't need at as they were no longer sure I had bipolar. But didn't offer any advice or suggestions on what was actually happening in my brain.

This led to me seeking answers that I just wasn't given and I am fortunate enough to have found an ADHD specialist who has spent hours with me (at a cost admittedly) to diagnose and then get me onto the correct dosage of meds.