Any advice on how to get diagnosed in UK

[Polly91]

hello

I’m new on this ADHD group but have been on thyroid HU for many years.

My 21 year old son thinks he has “a screw loose” to use his term and his close house mate thinks he has ADHD. My son and I both think it probably is ADHD as he cannot focus on the mundane, leaves the cooker hob on, lights on everywhere and has no interest in routine aspects of life eg dental appointments etc, is v impulsive & gets into all sorts of trouble. He gets passionate about certain hobbies but it’s generally short lived.

He has no wish to get a job and I can’t support him for ever.

he asked me about getting tested but the NHS has over 18 month waiting lists for ADHD.

I’ve heard horror stories about private clinics who diagnose very easily and are just in it for the money.

does anyone have any recommendations for clinics we could try in the UK - in Oxford or London?

Thank you v much.

[AppleSnail]

It certainly sounds like ADHD to me, but I'm not a medical professional!

It's really unfortunate that the NHS is so badly equipped to deal with adult ADHD. It's right to be cautious with the specialist ADHD private clinics - they tend to focus so tightly on ADHD that they can miss the bigger picture. If a GP has already recommended referral to an ADHD specialist, it could be a good route to take though. I recently had an online consultation with ADHD 360 and - no surprise - they diagnosed me with ADHD! To be fair, they have really helped me, but the ongoing private prescriptions are pretty expensive (£80-100 per month). They asked my NHS GP to pick up the prescriptions under a Shared Care agreement, but the GP declined.

Still, if you can afford the private prescriptions for 18 months or so, it might be a good way to get some help quickly while your son is on the NHS waiting list.

[Polly91 in reply to AppleSnail]

Thank you for your suggestion. I have a feeling our GP will say the same if we get a diagnosis and a prescription but we are a bit away from that step.

Thanks again

[GrowandSew]

Hi, I’ve been through this with my son too! It’s difficult when they are of adult age, as we (you/I) can’t do it for them. It sounds like you have a good relationship with him, so maybe encouraging him to approach the private diagnosing companies together with you might help him see it as a higher priority than phoning for a routine dentist appointment? Most companies do online video calls now for the process, so don’t think your location is relevant nowadays. My son, was told by his GP that waiting for an NHS diagnosis can now take several years in some parts of the UK! & recommended “Clinical Partners” for a private diagnosis & shared care. I paid for my sons diagnosis as couldn’t watch him suffering any longer than necessary (I wasn’t convinced he’d survive the NHS waiting time to be honest!) They (C.P) were very thorough in their consultation & diagnosis process, much more so than I had when I was diagnosed via NHS referral to PsychiatryUK. Your GP may have more up to date recommendations of who they will accept shared care agreements from though, so I’d ask there first or you may be paying for private prescriptions indefinitely if the GP refuses to accept a diagnosis from elsewhere. Good luck🤞

[Polly91 in reply to GrowandSew]

Thank you very much. I will bring the subject up at the “right” time.

Is it easier for you son to accept/ get diagnosed because you had already got a diagnosis yourself ?

Do you both take medication ? If so what impact does it have ?

Thanks again