Panorama Private ADHD clinics exposed

[Youdoyoubabe]

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

All of this.

People need help to fill out a PIP form in many cases (not just ADHD) because it is looking for very particular things and the individual may not realise how much they are actually affected by their disability because to them it is their 'normal'. They might not put down enough evidence and if they have ADHD they might struggle to know where to even start with the form, many ND people struggle with executive function.

If someone wanted to claim PIP on a fake diagnosis then surely it would be quicker, easier and cheaper to get a diagnosis of depression and claim on that basis. I know someone who claims it because he is hugely over weight and can't get around easily - why not just eat your way to a disability. I don't know why anyone would go to all the bother and expense of a private ADHD diagnosis that they can't 100% guarantee they're going to get.

You do realise the 'clinical evidence' IS the diagnosis right?

You just send in your assessment letter which says you were diagnosed with ADHD and then you can say anything about how it effects you or doesn't effect you.

How ignorant are you? That you don’t understand how PIP works and can't possibly contemplate that it could possibly ever be abused.

Thanks @Sakigake you said it all better than I ever could! It’s quite frankly laughable to think that people are doing this when there are much easier things to fake (if people are even doing that!). If someone manages a fraudulent claim of PIP for ADHD alone then I’d shake their hand and tell them to enjoy every penny.

Yes quite.

But think of all these imaginary people claiming PIP.

We'll be lucky if DS is sorted by High School. He's in Yr3 now.

I do understand how PIP works because I claim PIP. The evidence needs to include a report by a clinician on how it affects you. It doesn’t all go on self reporting. Hope that helps.

One of my children has a condition where even the diagnosis means that straight away most people know what’s involved and every person who has this has a similar need for care. I STILL had to send multiple different types of evidence to prove how much care they require. And that’s for an absolutely black and white condition.

A diagnosis itself is not enough.

I don't have ADHD and could put together a solid argument that I do. And fill in a PIP form and get it awarded. Even if not at first try, I'd ask for mandatory reconsideration then go to appeal if necessary.

It's a diagnosis that can't be proven or disproven as there is no objective test for it.

How do you propose to cheat the Qb test?

I'm sure anyone who wants to put in a dodgy claim for various other brain related issues could fake it, get a dodgy sign off and go for benefit fraud too.

If they were so inclined.

However, I'm betting that the threshold for getting PIP for ADHD is going to be a fuck load higher, precisely cos its not physical. So its harder to prove in the first place.

This is a dishonest, strawman argument anyway. Its the level of dogwhistle politics.

Private overdiagnosis based on poor clinical practice is not fuelling an upsurge in PIP claims for ADHD. I think we can be pretty damn sure on that one.

People on the internet, talking about ADHD PIP claims being a reason to crack down on private ADHD diagnosis ARE fuelling an upsurge in stigma though.

I think we should be wary of viewing the QB test as the objective bit of the diagnosis. https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/mib318/resources/qbtest-for-the-assessment-of-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd-pdf-2285967635049157

I’m concerned about the QB test as I’m very self conscious, so if I think/know I’m being watched I’ve become very good at adjusting my behaviour accordingly. When I’m at home at my desk I can’t stop fidgeting.

The point I was making about the Qb test is it would be harder to "perform" to get a pay as you go diagnosis.

Some posters are suggesting that it would be easy to lie / fake symptoms to get a diagnosis for pip.

I would suggest that those posters are underestimating the experience of mental health professionals completing the assessments.

And I asked the poster who is claiming it is oh so easy to get a diagnosis how they would obtain the required score from a Qb test.

To the poster who said they were worried by Qb - please don't be. It's not a particularly pleasant experience and DH was exhausted when he did his, but it was consistent with his other symptoms and as he is someone who masks extensively, it was interesting to see just how far he was from the expectations for his age and sex.

@Dinopawus thank you. I’m assuming whatever it is you have to do requires a lot of concentration which will no doubt unmask me. I was completing a 45 question revision quiz this morning another student had made. I must have stopped at least 10 times and was practically crawling out of my skin.

Luckily this hasn't been my experience with a private clinic (not shown in the program). It was 2 months before the doctor would even start prescribing!

In the same respect, the NHS experience shown in the program also isn't everyone's experience. Anecdotally in an ADHD women's group I'm in, many report only an hour session as well, and some clinics use nurses to do the assessments.

This is what I’m trying to do but paediatrics refused his referral because he hasn’t been assessed for ADHD. Our GP has tried to make loads of referrals because his lack of sleep does affect him but no one would accept the referral without him having an assessment. It’s why I paid to go private just so that someone will look at his sleeping issues cuz he has symptoms of a primary sleep disorder (insomnia, sleep walking and night terrors) but he also has high indications of ADHD and ASD which seems to be why no one will look any further until he’s been assessed.

Personally, I have ASD and his dad has ADHD, neither of us have ever had medication other than melatonin and have used adaptations we have in place (I have alarms set to tell me when to do things, checklists, a daily routine board etc all of which my son uses as well and benefits from). I think with the right support at home of learning how to live with it can be beneficial. As for the stimulants themselves, it’s like looking at a scale, are the benefits worth the risks. Like with all medications, they have side effects and can cause harm to the body, especially to organs like the heart and at this moment in time, the risks outweigh the benefits. My son currently is independent, bright and is fixated on math and science. Should it become necessary in the future then I’ll reevaluate the situation but presently, I don’t want him on them because the risks outweigh the benefits

He’s 6, turns 7 at the end of the year. He currently gets between 6-7 hours of broken sleep a night (this has improved by 1 hour on average since I originally posted; we’ve implemented a new weighted blanket with plush underneath, turned his bed into a sensory space to help him relax, introduced soothing audiobooks at bedtime and he has oat milk milkshakes an hour before bed cuz it has naturally occurring melatonin). He also sleep walks and has night terrors (these have unfortunately increased though).