How to Get Help For ADHD in the UK
It can be difficult to determine ADHD. Although the process can be long and challenging, there are ways to get help.
Referral to an NHS ADHD clinic is the first step. This can be done by your GP or your local community mental health team.
Waiting for a long time
According to an all-party parliamentary group in the UK has a postcode lottery when it comes to waiting time for children diagnosed with ADHD. It could take up to two years for children with the condition to be diagnosed, in some cases. These figures were gathered through a Freedom of Information Request and reveal that even with the NHS there is a distinct variation in waiting times across the nation.
The average wait time for a diagnosis in the UK is 12 months, but it can be much longer, particularly in rural areas. For instance, the average wait for an GP to refer a child diagnosed with ADHD is around four months in Somerset, but nearly two years in Cheshire and Wirral.
Because ADHD is difficult to diagnose, a GP will need you to consult a neurobehavioural psychiatrist. This usually means you will be placed on a waitlist until the time of your assessment.
Your eligibility for free NHS treatment could also impact the length of time you wait. It varies based on the location of your home. This should be discussed with your GP or local mental health team.
Your GP will be able to advise you on what steps to do next, which includes obtaining an appointment and completing the required paperwork. They can also help you locate a clinic or an expert and might be able recommend a local ADHD peer support group, which can be helpful.
Additionally, your doctor can advise you whether you should consider the group-based therapy program such as a parent training and education programme. These programs aid parents in learning to manage their child's behavior more effectively.
You may also ask your GP if they can refer you to a Right To Choose assessor, who will provide an assessment for ADHD or autism (or both as a combined neurodevelopmental assessment). They are available all over England and may choose assessment sessions in person but they can also accept online referrals.
The CAMHS City ADHD and Hackney ADHD teams have collaborated on a quality improvement program to improve their services. They have been following the QI model for improvement from East London Foundation Trust (ELFT) and have used Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles to test new ideas. This has led to the average wait of 28 weeks being reduced to just 12 weeks by September of this year.
Receiving a referral
You can ask your GP to perform an ADHD assessment if you suspect ADHD may be the cause of certain issues. During this visit the doctor will take an extensive review of your symptoms, and discuss how they affect you in different aspects of your life. They may also recommend certain tests to aid in diagnosing the condition.
The discussion should be open and honest with your GP. The doctor shouldn't evaluate you based on your symptoms, but instead consider how the disorder affects your life as well as your family's.
They should ask you lots of questions and explain to ADHD sufferers how they feel about you. They should also discuss with you how your symptoms affect your work, relationships and your social life.
If you believe you meet the requirements for ADHD then they should write a referral letter to an adult ADHD specialist. The NICE Guidelines and your symptoms list should be included in this letter.
ADHD diagnosis is not something that the majority of GPs are educated in. You should seek out an experienced psychiatrist, most preferably one who is a neurobehavioral specialist. Only this specialist is able to diagnose and accurately assess the condition.
In adhd diagnosis , you can also decide to obtain a diagnosis through your local NHS. The process can be difficult and long.
To make the process more simple and faster, you can request a referral for an assessment via the NHS Right to Choose (RTC) scheme. This allows you to receive your diagnosis from an alternative provider with the shorter waiting time.
You can do this by asking your GP to provide the contact details of an RTC provider in your area. You can also look online for an established RTC provider who performs assessments and prescribes medication.
Once you have found a service, contact them to let them know that you'd like to be referred to them under the RTC scheme. Many providers will provide an example letter that you can download and use.
Psychiatrist's assessment
A psychiatric assessment for ADHD typically takes between one and 3 hours. It involves an in-depth discussion with an expert in neurobehavioral medicine. The assessment will consider your whole life's experience of ADHD symptoms, beginning when you were a kid and also how they currently affect you in your day-to-day activities today. It is important to feel at ease and be able to discuss your past experiences or concerns. It is beneficial to consult your physician in advance if you are unsure about the questions they might ask.
Your GP will set up an appointment with one of our consultants who specialize in the examination. The questionnaires for pre-assessment will be completed and you will need to answer any questions regarding your background and health. It is important to be ready for a lengthy consultation and we strongly recommend to take your partner or other relatives with you.
Additional information about any mental health problems you might be suffering from, such as anxiety or depression, will be sought. To rule out other possible causes an examination of your body can also be scheduled.
The psychiatrist will then go over the checklist of ADHD symptoms from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-V, or ICD-10. This information is used to establish a diagnosis.
For a person to receive a diagnosis of ADHD they must be suffering from at least six or more symptoms that affect their everyday functioning and have been present at least for some time. However, this isn't an exact number, and some patients may have more than six symptoms.
International guidelines and thresholds for symptoms are in place to ensure that those who are most likely to suffer from ADHD are identified as having the condition. But it is still very normal for people suffering from ADHD to be diagnosed without a lot of symptoms or with a mild or moderate form of the condition.
Medication
There are many kinds of drugs. They can be employed to treat, stop or prevent illness, ease symptoms or diagnose an illness. Certain medicines are made from animals and plants and others are made from human-made substances. The most popular kinds of medications include tablets, capsules and liquids, as well as creams and patches.
Certain medications are only taken orally, whereas others require injection. Most medications require the prescription of a physician before they are prescribed.
ADHD sufferers could benefit from medications that improve their concentration, be less impulsive, communicate better, develop new skills and manage their time better. However, some medications might not work for everyone.
The most commonly prescribed drug for adults with ADHD is methylphenidate, however there are other drugs available, including dexamphetamine and Atomoxetine. Methylphenidate, which is a central nervous systems stimulant, and dexamphetamine (and atomoxetine) are sedatives.
There's also a small amount of research that suggests that some people with ADHD might benefit from taking drugs that do not contain the active ingredient, also known as "dummy" or "placebo" drugs. It's unclear whether this is an appropriate or effective method for ADHD treatment.
In the UK, GPs often prescribe ADHD medication to patients as part of shared-care protocols. They have a range of responsibilities for supporting patients with ADHD as well as their comorbidities and may have to review the prescribing practices regularly (Hall and co. 2015).
General practitioners are also "gatekeepers" for specialist services that are able to provide young people with ADHD and comorbidities with regular treatment when they require it. However, these treatments can be difficult to access for many young people with mental health issues (Hall and others. 2015).
In the UK there is a need for improved the GP-led treatment of ADHD. This is particularly applicable to teens who are commonly diagnosed with ADHD as children. They may also suffer from multiple comorbidities such as anxiety, depression conduct disorder, conduct disorder. These problems can make it difficult for doctors to determine the problem and prescribe the best treatment.