I’m fairly suspect that I’ve likely got ADHD and/or mild depression and I don’t know if ones causing symptoms of the other or if im personally misatributing symptoms here and I want to know how to go about changing this in the best way possible.
The NHS is a wonderful service but unfortunately it’s run by the British so it’s horrifically overworked and often mismanaged and my area is no exception to the rule.
Mental and physical health services in my area are under funded, under staffed and overworked which means I can’t even speak to a GP about my concerns and I worry I won’t be taken seriously or brushed aside as a low criticality case. Not to mention all the testimonys from people about GPs not taking adult ADHD seriously assuming they even believe ADHD exists. (See the state of gender health and trans healthcare for an excellent example of a a broken system).
However something (whatever it is) is affecting my life and although I absolutely don’t feel like self harm or suicide, etc, I’d very much like something to change.
What are my options here? I’ve heard people talk about private healthcare but I’m in no position to afford this.
I’d very much appreciate the help from anyone whose been in my position and would desperately want to listen to your stories too.
Thank you!
If you’re currently in no position to go private, then the first thing to do is get in contact with your GP. My local GP allowed me to fill in some details about my issue, and they’d contact me to dicuss it further.
I was asked to collect some questionnaires to determine the impact of any symptoms on my life. Now, at this stage, you should request to be referred via ‘Right to Choose’ along with a suitable private clinic, such as PsychiatryUK. I think I did this but was ignored and referred to my local NHS psychiatry unit with it’s wonderful 4 year backlog (18 months on the list so far!)
I had to appeal to doctor’s initial decision as there was a lack of evidence, so be prepared to provide school reports etc to defend your stance.
Get on the NHS/Right to Choose waitlists as soon as possible, and then you can pay for private if the funds come up first! Hope this helps!