ADHD - Adults

[GilletteFan]

Kermit power said:

Spare the rod, spoil the female, eh?

How many "females" do you know closely enough to be intimately acquainted with their laundry habits?

For me, I reckon the line would be drawn at my mother and wife, given that any prior girlfriends are now 25 years out of date!

I've dated my fair share of girls in my time.

And yeah, some of the girls who I thought were highly unusual (suspected depression, ADHD or BPD) were really bad at laundry and they were very messy in general.

[KTMsm]

GilletteFan said:

I've dated my fair share of girls in my time.

And yeah, some of the girls who I thought were highly unusual (suspected depression, ADHD or BPD) were really bad at laundry and they were very messy in general.

I've never noticed a girl's laundry habits, I couldn't tell you how long my wife of 15 years takes !

I once dumped a girl because her bathroom was disgusting - it reminded me of that scene in Trainspotting

[GilletteFan]

KTMsm said:

I've never noticed a girl's laundry habits, I couldn't tell you how long my wife of 15 years takes !

I once dumped a girl because her bathroom was disgusting - it reminded me of that scene in Trainspotting

I guess I tend to notice the same laundry sitting around when i pay another visit. As soon as I see it again the next time around, I bounce.

[Bloxxcreative]

GilletteFan said:

KTMsm said:

I've never noticed a girl's laundry habits, I couldn't tell you how long my wife of 15 years takes !

I once dumped a girl because her bathroom was disgusting - it reminded me of that scene in Trainspotting

I guess I tend to notice the same laundry sitting around when i pay another visit. As soon as I see it again the next time around, I bounce.

I can't say anything. Always have muddles of clothes dotted around the place. Clean clothes I put in my stairs ready to put in their right places, invariably to get dumped in a side room.

[michaelT99]

jm8403 said:

Amazing - how did you find the professional? local search or was it someone online? What did this cost? Thanks in advance.

I'd basically given up on everything 2 or so months ran out of energy, I actually volunteer at my wife's school looking after kids doing wood work metal work they all have adhd or autism, I started noticing similaties between me and the kids, did a bit of research and it became clearer. I spoke at length with the gp she agreed, but a 2 year waiting list on the nhs was too long. I then spoke to a Dr friend who advised go private as there is lots of online companies. I choose, based on reviews, ADHD360, they are amazing ,the provisional assessment is about 2 hrs that was £170 then the you buy a package for a year so including the initial assessment cost of £170 its around £980 then the monthly prescription 80 to 120 a month.. I'd highly recommend the to me it's a small price to get my life back ... to me they've been a life saver

[jm8403]

michaelT99 said:

I'd basically given up on everything 2 or so months ran out of energy, I actually volunteer at my wife's school looking after kids doing wood work metal work they all have adhd or autism, I started noticing similaties between me and the kids, did a bit of research and it became clearer. I spoke at length with the gp she agreed, but a 2 year waiting list on the nhs was too long. I then spoke to a Dr friend who advised go private as there is lots of online companies. I choose, based on reviews, ADHD360, they are amazing ,the provisional assessment is about 2 hrs that was £170 then the you buy a package for a year so including the initial assessment cost of £170 its around £980 then the monthly prescription 80 to 120 a month.. I'd highly recommend the to me it's a small price to get my life back ... to me they've been a life saver

Great to hear Michael, glad it is working for you, will check it out. My main concern is, a) i dont like taking drugs as ive got this far in life b) they lose effectivrness.

[GiantCardboardPlato]

for people worried about the delay on the NHS, and getting shared care with the GP, I'd advise that you just need to hold your GPs hand through it a bit to get a better outcome. Yes, there are some who follow the flawed thinking process that private diagnosis --> shared care is "skipping the queue and ripping off the NHS", even though you actually free up resources for it, at (for some people) significant personal expense. But I think most will be fine as long as they are confident that it's been done properly. I went:

1. go to GP to discuss concerns/idea I may have ADHD, and take along the completed diagnostic tests that they would ask me to do (I got this from the local NHS region's guidance/diagnostic flowchart for GPs - online). Discuss with them. They agreed referral to the NHS team would be indicated, but said there would be a long wait.

2.I said I'd heard about long wait, and read that some people go private. They said that they could refer me to a private consultant and then do shared care if possible (i.e. I got them to suggest it).

3. get the diagnosis privately from an adult ADHD specialist, consultant wrote letter to GP after titration.

4. GP now does shared care. I see consultant at my expense once a year.

very easy - just about not setting them on edge I think.

[GiantCardboardPlato]

jm8403 said:

Great to hear Michael, glad it is working for you, will check it out. My main concern is, a) i dont like taking drugs as ive got this far in life b) they lose effectivrness.

The research shows the drugs don't lose effectiveness, but what does happen is the initial slight euphoria that can be quite common wears off.
Nevertheless, I make sure I have a week or two without them once every few months though.
Anecdotally, (i.e. personally), I haven't noticed any loss of effectiveness, in fact when I don't take them it's quite a surprise the size of the effect that they are having.

[jm8403]

GiantCardboardPlato said:

for people worried about the delay on the NHS, and getting shared care with the GP, I'd advise that you just need to hold your GPs hand through it a bit to get a better outcome. Yes, there are some who follow the flawed thinking process that private diagnosis --> shared care is "skipping the queue and ripping off the NHS", even though you actually free up resources for it, at (for some people) significant personal expense. But I think most will be fine as long as they are confident that it's been done properly. I went:

1. go to GP to discuss concerns/idea I may have ADHD, and take along the completed diagnostic tests that they would ask me to do (I got this from the local NHS region's guidance/diagnostic flowchart for GPs - online). Discuss with them. They agreed referral to the NHS team would be indicated, but said there would be a long wait.

2.I said I'd heard about long wait, and read that some people go private. They said that they could refer me to a private consultant and then do shared care if possible (i.e. I got them to suggest it).

3. get the diagnosis privately from an adult ADHD specialist, consultant wrote letter to GP after titration.

4. GP now does shared care. I see consultant at my expense once a year.

very easy - just about not setting them on edge I think.

Thanls for the advice. How much have you spent in total then? I just hate dealing with the NHS/Dr's from past experience. What did you book your dr appoint as? (suspected ADHD? or something vague?)

[michaelT99]

jm8403 said:

Great to hear Michael, glad it is working for you, will check it out. My main concern is, a) i dont like taking drugs as ive got this far in life b) they lose effectivrness.

To answer your questions. Personally for me wasn't an option, infact it was my last option, i was ready to close my business and sell the house and in fact run away from life. I also have crohns and colitis so another drug to take didn't really matter.. I thought I was doing well and coping, I wasn't, reality is the situation I ended up in nearly finished me off, in saying that it's not the same for everyone, all I can say is do your research and maybe give it a go, it certainly can make a difference.

[GiantCardboardPlato]

jm8403 said:

Thanls for the advice. How much have you spent in total then? I just hate dealing with the NHS/Dr's from past experience. What did you book your dr appoint as? (suspected ADHD? or something vague?)

Probably £1500-2500. The consultant I chose/see was/is a very expert one and so quite expensive. There are cheaper online diagnosis options that use psychiatric nurses I think… I was very concerned that because of my career/success my diagnosis would be harder unless i saw someone specialising in adult ADHD. I think there are many more options available in that area now.

With GP - it was all by phone, when booking I said it was a mental health issue.

[jm8403]

GiantCardboardPlato said:

Probably £1500-2500. The consultant I chose/see was/is a very expert one and so quite expensive. There are cheaper online diagnosis options that use psychiatric nurses I think… I was very concerned that because of my career/success my diagnosis would be harder unless i saw someone specialising in adult ADHD. I think there are many more options available in that area now.

With GP - it was all by phone, when booking I said it was a mental health issue.

The ones on adhd360 dont appear to be medical professions in all cases, so id be reluctant to pay all that without them being a professional for a diagnosis.

[shirt]

If it helps even going private in uk is cheap.

I paid equivalent of £750 just for diagnosis, albeit must say it was very comprehensive. Meds when I took them were couple hundred a month for concerta as that’s your only option and can only be bought from certain pharmacies o. Presentation of photo ID within 24hrs of the script being issued.

Now I have the diagnosis I’d absolutely love to get treated in uk but guess I can’t. Can’t stand concur, gave up on it super quick and no alternatives.

[shirt]

Also estimate I spent 5-6k on various shrinks ahead of the correct diagnosis.

[Sunraged]

jm8403 said:

The ones on adhd360 dont appear to be medical professions in all cases, so id be reluctant to pay all that without them being a professional for a diagnosis.

Hi, just stumbled across this forum following a diagnosis of ADHD last Wednesday.

I was assessed through ADHD360 by a guy who was a Registered Pharmacist and Advanced Practitioner.

I work in Secondary Care Psychology, and it's absolutely normal practice for mental health professionals who aren't Psychiatrists to be able to competently assess and diagnose ADHD and ASD. You do have to be a Medical Professional (Consultant Psychiatrist, for example), to prescribe controlled substances. I could assess if I was so inclined to do the necessary training.

The other thing to be aware of, is that Dr's aren't the only prescribers generally these days. Non-Medical Prescribing (NMP), is incredibly common these days (my wife is one), and Pharmacists are now (with the correct training), able to prescribe some medications, allowing you to circumvent long waits for GP appts. All of these require rigorous training (NMP training requires a score of 100%-anything else is a fail).

I guess what I'm saying is that you will be perfectly fine with whoever assesses you

Anyhoo. I've been prescribed 30mgs of Elvanse for 7 days, then upped to 50mgs for the next 21 days, with a follow-up appt booked at the end of that titration period. Waiting for the meds to arrive through the door now, and to be honest, I'm just excited, no trepidation whatsoever.

[jm8403]

Sunraged said:

Hi, just stumbled across this forum following a diagnosis of ADHD last Wednesday.

I was assessed through ADHD360 by a guy who was a Registered Pharmacist and Advanced Practitioner.

I work in Secondary Care Psychology, and it's absolutely normal practice for mental health professionals who aren't Psychiatrists to be able to competently assess and diagnose ADHD and ASD. You do have to be a Medical Professional (Consultant Psychiatrist, for example), to prescribe controlled substances. I could assess if I was so inclined to do the necessary training.

The other thing to be aware of, is that Dr's aren't the only prescribers generally these days. Non-Medical Prescribing (NMP), is incredibly common these days (my wife is one), and Pharmacists are now (with the correct training), able to prescribe some medications, allowing you to circumvent long waits for GP appts. All of these require rigorous training (NMP training requires a score of 100%-anything else is a fail).

I guess what I'm saying is that you will be perfectly fine with whoever assesses you

Anyhoo. I've been prescribed 30mgs of Elvanse for 7 days, then upped to 50mgs for the next 21 days, with a follow-up appt booked at the end of that titration period. Waiting for the meds to arrive through the door now, and to be honest, I'm just excited, no trepidation whatsoever.

Thanks for that, I am not entirely sure what an 'advanced practitioner' is but I am slightly cautious about paying someone to look at a list of questions I will have answered before for free just so I might be able to buy some drugs. I guess thats for me to get over and pay up.

[GiantCardboardPlato]

If you want to see a psychiatrist (I preferred to, personally) there is no reason you can’t though, it will just be more expensive privately. I have a letter about 20 pages long detailing the diagnosis.

[Sunraged]

jm8403 said:

Thanks for that, I am not entirely sure what an 'advanced practitioner' is but I am slightly cautious about paying someone to look at a list of questions I will have answered before for free just so I might be able to buy some drugs. I guess thats for me to get over and pay up.

An Advanced Practitioner is someone who has undertaken further training/specialism that qualifies them to act outside their core professional role and responsibilities. It doesn't apply to Psychology, but you'll see it in Nursing, Social Work, and Pharmacy related roles.

ADHD360 uses a semi-structured clinical interview (I think it's called the DIVA). It will take around 90 mins to complete, whereas the online questionnaires are fairly quick screening tools (I think 12 questions was the lengthiest screening tool I'd found online). They're just guides to better inform you of the chances you'll be spending your hard-earned cash on something helpful.

Good luck with it, though. I must admit, getting the diagnosis felt like a bit of a gut punch where the assailant is actually telegraphing the punch (i.e. the assessment kind of stating the obvious), but to have that instinct validated is important (or at least it was for me). I was told that the symptoms can worsen as you get older due to work pressures, general life, family, etc..., which is absolutely the reason I sought it out-I was getting to 2pm, and I could literally fall asleep standing up, halfway through a sentence. I'd been to a GP years ago thinking it was my thyroid or something like that, but had literally every test under the sun, but nothing.

I wish I'd had this test when I was in my teens.

Edited by Sunraged on Monday 13th March 14:48

[jm8403]

Sunraged said:

An Advanced Practitioner is someone who has undertaken further training/specialism that qualifies them to act outside their core professional role and responsibilities. It doesn't apply to Psychology, but you'll see it in Nursing, Social Work, and Pharmacy related roles.

ADHD360 uses a semi-structured clinical interview (I think it's called the DIVA). It will take around 90 mins to complete, whereas the online questionnaires are fairly quick screening tools (I think 12 questions was the lengthiest screening tool I'd found online). They're just guides to better inform you of the chances you'll be spending your hard-earned cash on something helpful.

Good luck with it, though. I must admit, getting the diagnosis felt like a bit of a gut punch where the assailant is actually telegraphing the punch (i.e. the assessment kind of stating the obvious), but to have that instinct validated is important (or at least it was for me). I was told that the symptoms can worsen as you get older due to work pressures, general life, family, etc..., which is absolutely the reason I sought it out-I was getting to 2pm, and I could literally fall asleep standing up, halfway through a sentence. I'd been to a GP years ago thinking it was my thyroid or something like that, but had literally every test under the sun, but nothing.

I wish I'd had this test when I was in my teens.

Edited by Sunraged on Monday 13th March 14:48

Thanks for that. I have emailed a local place who I believe have very highly qualified people. In my mind, I want to be sure but I could be wasting my money if its the standard questions they all go through and give me a score.

[Teddy Lop]

jm8403 said:

GiantCardboardPlato said:

Probably £1500-2500. The consultant I chose/see was/is a very expert one and so quite expensive. There are cheaper online diagnosis options that use psychiatric nurses I think… I was very concerned that because of my career/success my diagnosis would be harder unless i saw someone specialising in adult ADHD. I think there are many more options available in that area now.

With GP - it was all by phone, when booking I said it was a mental health issue.

The ones on adhd360 dont appear to be medical professions in all cases, so id be reluctant to pay all that without them being a professional for a diagnosis.

I saw someone quite high end (does expert witness stuff etc) and was in for 2-3 grand with scrips etc, but basically still only got a 90 minute chat assessment. From my understanding if you're "coping", and coping seems to be defined as broadly as you're not a utter liability and manage to eat and dress yourself, there's not much more than try you on the various pills they can do for you. Thus my advice to anyone would be get it wherever it's cheapest. I've heard of GPs that'll prescribe the pills as a trial before committing someone to the expenditure of the diagnosis.