ADHD Diagnosis Journey

I felt it was important to share further information about my ADHD diagnosis journey. Having written about this previously on IG it felt right to update you here.

I started questioning my mental health many moons ago and while I had been prescribed various meds for both depression and anxiety over the years, it just didn’t quiet help or fit. My children were given neurodivergent diagnoses and things started to make more sense. The experiences they were having were very similar to my own growing up and it fell into place.

Early 2021 I approached the GP with my thoughts and suspicions about having ADHD, I was told in no uncertain terms that I had made it into my 30’s so it probably wasn’t worth pursuing a diagnosis. Yes, I had made it into my 30’s but at what cost to my continuously deteriorating mental health?

In March 2022, I plucked up the courage to contact another GP and approach the topic again. This time I was heard and reassured that it was worth looking into based on the evidence I had presented and the continued help and support I needed to function and feel mentally ‘well’. I received the assessment forms and the process began.

By May 2022 I was well into the process and had a mental health assessment, this was standard procedure to rule out any other mental health disorders that may have been lurking undiagnosed. The report was sent on to the adult ADHD assessment team and I should hear back within four weeks. By the end of June I had not heard anything and chased for further information, at this point I was told they did not know where my assessment information had been sent or how to help me to chase up on the outcome. I pushed further and eventually the information was miraculously found! I was able to contact the designated team and they confirmed they had indeed received everything in May and would be in touch soon.

Fast forwards to August 2022, no response yet, so I chased again and was told I would be looking at September for an assessment appointment. By October, I was no further forwards and was told they had no idea how long it would be before I was offered an appointment for assessment. I’m sure you are noticing there is a theme appearing here, unfortunately not a rare one either.

December 2022 and I chased again and was told at this point that the wait was likely to early spring as the waiting list was now twelve months. In March 2023 I was fortunate to receive an appointment with an ADHD nurse via Teams. I had a long conversation with the nurse in which we discussed lots of aspects of my life from childhood to the present. I had to send in copies of my school reports as well as provide details of a family member that would be able to provide information and examples of my behaviours over the years. My sister offered to do this for me, and she had an appointment, also via Teams, with the same nurse four weeks later.

By April 2023 I received an email confirming there was enough evidence to proceed with an ADHD diagnosis, but, and here’s the big issues, this would need to be done officially by a psychiatrist. The current wait time for this appointment would be another 18 months. At this point I was told I could, if I wanted to, go via Right to Choose and be referred to Psychiatry UK. I opted for this, in May 2023 Psychiatry UK confirmed they had received my information and the current wait time was 12 months.

So the wait was on, from what began in early 2021 and then picked up a bit of momentum throughout 2022, I am now finally about to have my appointment with a psychiatrist in November 2024.

Yesterday I had my appointment, I met with a lovely psychiatrist who, after some tech issues, spent an hour talking through the documents she had (the school reports and personal accounts from myself and my sister). She asked about my mental health, my day to day and how I have adapted and been able to cope, then she ended the call asking me if I thought I had ADHD, I replied ‘yes’ and she said ‘me too’.

I had waited 3 years to hear a psychiatrist say that. Those words, an official diagnosis, my struggling and my ups and downs, the struggles with work, emotions, relationships, family life etc. now has an official name, a place to sit and to be processed.

Whilst this is the end of my diagnosis journey, it is the start of the next.

To begin medication and titration has another six month wait, but I am hopeful this will help me and willing to wait for that support, I’ve waited 36 years so far and this is for her, that little girl inside.