Panorama Private ADHD clinics exposed

[Youdoyoubabe]

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

You are wrong not only do you take prescription to pharmacy of your choice but charges also vary from one pharmacy to another . Hth !

Unfortunately yes I do think this is at the heart of the issue. Significantly impacted used to be more clear - now because anyone can say it significantly impacts them, and this is taken seriously, there is less objectivity. On the other hand someone could be really suffering but more ‘quietly’ than someone else, so in another way our own subjective view of our own problems does matter. What isn’t an issue for someone else, might be for us.

But what worries me is that we are not having an open, robust debate about this. Within psychiatry or diagnostic professions this isn’t being talked about openly because over diagnosis is a dilemma and is an issue. Let’s at least discuss it.

honestly don't care how he was questioned and how he answered, if he told the NHS doctor but not the private ones. What I can see straight is that no other professionals other than psychiatrists are qualified to diagnose. So the third practice is completely on the wrong, full stop. The second one is arguably saying the psychiatrist diagnosed on the basis of the psychologist 's opinion. That's cheeky, isn't it? Not without any self-purposed intention on the back, it's not something that helps in any sense.

Just wanted to pick up on this. A clinical psychologist is a doctor and can assess/diagnose, but they can't prescribe. Many people have been diagnosed by psychologists through the NHS.

I have both a private and an nhs adhd diagnosis so they are not always getting it wrong.

a few years ago a clinical psychologist who was updating my dyslexia assessment (for some professional exams I was taking) suggested I had adhd. I don’t tick tok and wasn’t aware it was a big trend. I then approached my nhs Gp for a nhs referal and sat on the waiting list for2 years. In that time I had the same recurring professional and private difficulties I had been having for a while so I so went private and was given a adhd diagnosis by a psychiatrist (who also works in the nhs) who provided me with a private scrip and titrated my elvanse. This was life changing - I am succeeding in my career relationships and friendships, I no longer have “recurrent anxiety and depression “ and haven’t had my yearly mental health breakdowns I was having before. Subsequently I did make it to the top of the nhs list and saw a nhs mental health nurse (not a psychiatrist) who confirmed the diagnosis and the nhs took over prescribing.

back in the day little girls who didn’t trash the place weren’t diagnosed with ADHD (unlike little boys who were) they were just called lazy and forgetful and not trying hard enough. It’s now believed the m:f prevalence is 50:50 so despite all the increase in older female diagnosis there is actually so many more undiagnosed older women out there still struggling.

As a Headteacher I'm constantly being called onto panels to diagnose ADHD and Autism in my pupils. I am absolutely not qualified to do this, as a 2-day Mental Health training course in school doesn't in my opinion cut it. Nonetheless, here we go again - me and a load of other Health professionals who say absolutely nothing as they don't know the child. Often I'm the only one talking on these panels as I see the child all day every day. Yet I'm not qualified to diagnose these things. How many times?! This is neither an effective nor a safe system of diagnosis either as these children will have this diagnosis for life! Based, essentially on the whim or feeling of someone who has trained to be a teacher. And this is the NHS diagnosis!

That’s the thing tho, my adhd meds don’t really allow me to concentrate- well they do by not in the way that would help me study for exams directly - it’s not pro plus. I know NT people who take it (illegally) to study and they report long stretches of concentration and being able to hyper focus for an exam.

It’s not like that if you have adhd. The first time I took meds (concerta) I cried. It was like suddenly the several radios that had always been playing different channels loudly all about me were turned off, my brain was quiet. I just sat there in tears in peace for the first time in 34 years. Give me my elvanse and I will be able to watch tv without also having to do yoga or bounce about, or even better relax in the bath or even have a nap.They shut my brain up not stimulate it. I don’t need it to cram for an exam - hyper focus is an adhd symptom- I can do single minded focus better without the medication!

A clinical psychologist is not a doctor.

A psychiatrist is a doctor. A psychologist is not.

All qualified doctors can prescribe (unless struck off or retired etc).

Many practitioners who are not doctors can make diagnoses in their field of expertise.

@GozerTheGozerian "And no, ADHD meds don’t increase concentration for everyone. They can be either ineffective or downright harmful if given to people without ADHD."

I recommend you look at research that's been done in the last ten or 15 years.
Twenty years ago I was taught by an educational psychologist who specialised in ADHD that, as you say, the meds that help kids with ADHD to concentrate will have no effect or a negative effect on the concentration of those that do not have ADHD. This was reassuring for parents because everyone believed that, if the meds worked, it confirmed the diagnosis.
More recent research shows that (almost) everyone's concentration will be improved by low doses of stimulants. Which means that response to ADHD medication can't be taken as confirmation of diagnosis. I think it's important this is more widely known.

@bellac11 "I cant wait for the day when there is a neurological test in the brain for ND disorders. There is so much overlap between trauma/attachment disorder behaviour and ND presentation

Far more professionals are talking about this now"

As an adult living with the effects of insecure attachment and childhood trauma, I think the biomedical / (cognitive) behaviourist paradigm of western mental health services is totally inadequate for helping, healing from these things. I've started down the path of being assessed for ADHD and ASD myself, because these diagnoses make more sense of my symptoms than anything else within this biomedical / behaviourist paradigm. There are lots of nods towards "trauma informed care" in the system but I think a whole paradigm shift is needed to make sense of attachment disorders, childhood trauma, and to actually be able to help. For myself, I've found depth psychology better equipped to make sense of my story, my experiences, particularly the work of Donald Kalsched. But I can't find any practitioners, in any modality, within 100s of kms of me who work within that paradigm. This has turned into a long ramble only tangentially related to OP, I could probably write paragraphs more but there you go.

Oh the damage this is going to do for people with ADHD who have been privately diagnosed 😓

I was privately diagnosed by an NHS consultant psychiatrist who now works privately. So technically I was diagnosed privately. Am I now going to have to justify the diagnosis to the sort of ignorant people who thing ‘everyone has ADHD symptoms’ - urm no, my dh for example has none at all , neither have any of my colleagues etc etc.

It’s good to highlight where the system has fallen short BUT the repercussions on people who genuinely have ADHD is going to be horrible.

I'm going to be honest. I think people want a diagnosis of ADHD for themselves or their child because it takes away any responsibility for their own behaviour/ parenting.
I have been told multiple times by passing NON PROFESSIONALS that they think I have ADHD traits. Mainly because I'm forgetful, perpetually late, easily distracted and once I focus on something, I can't stop doing that task. However they're not seeing the whole picture, that I have insomnia, that none of these traits were there in childhood, that I have a phone addiction, that I have anxiety, that I have some trauma, that I'm a stressed out lone mum of two kids....
So what would be easier? Looking at how I can improve my sleep hygiene, trying to develop coping strategies for my busy life, trying to do things in advance (which I really really struggle with as I think part of me has gotten used to the thrill of throwing everything together at the last minute and the endorphins which come with it), seeing a therapist, slowing down, limiting phone use, trying to be more mindful and less reactive? Or getting a private adhd assessment and absolving myself of all responsibility? Sorry I'm constantly late and disorganised I have ADHD!
As someone with a child who is waiting for assessment, with no hope of us ever having the money to go private, I can sympathise. However, if you have lived 38 years as someone who suffers with the sort of chaotic, disorganised, going from crisis to crisis, or even, if you're like most of the middle aged mums I meet who are sure they have ADHD, very busy and don't understand why they can't be a fully present parent, career woman, fantastic wife, have a show home and look after elderly parents without forgetting the odd birthday, what is three years?!! Why do you have to be diagnosed tomorrow?
I don't believe the increase is due to masses of women being missed in the 80's and 90's, although I'm sure that a lot were, but a symptom of a modern age where we have too much information and stress and expectation. I feel there must be some hormonal response to our lives which triggers these ADHD traits to become apparent.
For those defending the private clinics, how can you possibly say that you can assess someone in the short assessment, relying mostly on self reported questionnaires? Unfortunately this trend will have a massive impact on the NHS, as most stay on both lists, they do not go private and then take themselves off the NHS waiting list. So others who are not privileged enough to afford an assessment still have to wait. Plus with adhd meds costing the NHS £70 a box, unnecessary diagnosis will create more

You do not pay over a £1000 to see a psychologist - what is needed is some guidance for those seeking a diagnosis. You see a psychiatrist - look them up FGS, do they also work in the NHS, do they specialise in this subject.
This is a good comment on the bbc prog
https://matthewhughes.substack.com/p/part-5-the-bbc-panorama-adult-adhd

@Welcometotheterrorzone
Insomnia can be a symptom of ADHD - it was in my case - lifelong insomnia and now I know why.

@PinkRobotDuck it can also not be... and having prolonged problems with sleep can cause inattentiveness, restlessness and anxiety. Not everything is caused by ADHD!

@ArcticSkewer I think you have some kind of vested interest in this thread.

Please name these large clinics with in house pharmacies having the same owner (so that they can milk their patients).

Even the major clinic named in the article doesn’t have an in house service.

I was diagnosed by Harley Psychiatrist 3 years ago
i went through titration with the help of their Psychiatrist and have a 3 monthly follow up since then
currently on 90mg dose of Concerta which has made a massive difference over the last couple of years
i pay £40 for a prescription to be issued plus £176 per month for the drugs from the chemist

if I run out of the prescription I have a noticeable change

I found Harley to be professional at all times and thorough
the bigger scandal is the lack of care available from the NHS , the country was happy to clap for them but not prepared to pay Nurses etc a decent salary

My son has ASD ( diagnosed via NHS paediatrician when he was 6) and I think symptoms of ADD too. It's very common as a comorbidity. His school Conners questionnaire came back very different from ours ( he'd only been there one term) and so we were refused any further assessment.
As a result I looked into private clinics for a proper assessment.
I haven't progressed it precisely because I'm struggling to find one that does more than a 45 minute appointment with questionnaires and a drugs package attached.
If anyone knows a proper, rigorous clinic in Sussex please let me know. I will accept a 'no diagnosis' happily - after a proper assessment. I am equally not happy with a 'yes' after anything that is not fully thorough and rigorous.

@FakeyMcFakeFace exactly! Technology is re-mapping our brains. The one person I know who has been diagnosed by the NHS as an adult who truly resonates with me as someone who has ADHD is very on it with limiting screen time, reading a book when she feels twitchy, getting a full nights sleep, doing yoga.

Do you know that the NHS doctor knew what the programme was about? They could have just been told that they were making a programme about ADHD diagnosis.

Panorama looks at 3 clinics. The bbc article I linked to has a table. All three have links to a pharmacy that provides the medication.

I didn't actually realise this was a thing til people were commenting on this thread so I looked up one of the websites to see - you can buy a package of diagnosis plus treatment. So .. more cynical than I realised. It's not just the £1k for diagnosis money that they are after. I thought that was enough to make a nice little business enterprise but there's actually a lot more money.

@Welcometotheterrorzone I could have written your post myself. I've got all that going on with me except insomnia. People on here have told me that I've probably got ADHD but I really don't believe I have. I put most of my problems down to the Internet and SM. Too much phone use. I've stopped being able to concentrate for longer than 3 minutes unless I'm really interested. I was never like this before I got a smartphone. So, because I'm older, I have something to compare myself to, but lots of young people don't and I can see why, if they behaved like me, what they read on SM would convince them they have ADHD. When actually it's just poor social habits.

For people that do have ADHD, it must be very frustrating because it's getting a reputation as the disease of the lazy. Whereas in reality, if you are earning a living constantly fighting your brain, it must be exhausting and you have to work harder than most.