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hello.its.me's Post

hello.its.me

Updated 1y ago

Long wait for ADHD assessment - can I go private?

I recently watched the BBC panorama documentary on adhd private clinics. in it they said that NICE guidelines state the waiting time for adhd and autism should be 3 months from referral to being seen and if a patient feels they have been waiting too long, they can request to have private treatment on the NHS. Is this actually true? It has been almost 2 years since my referral and I've not hear anything at all and have important paperwork and finances that need sorting that would be I would ideally need the assessment for first.

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Based on the provided information, it is mentioned that adult ASD and ADHD diagnosis can take up to 2 years due to a massive amount of people seeking diagnosis. However, there is no specific mention o...See More

Rebby1992

My CPN told me that I could, but that it was up to me. I will caution you though, some workplaces or even medical places won't accept a private diagnosis due to the reasons shown in the documentary. Although it is painful to, I am waiting for my NHS one. You can still get support for the issues with an ASD or AHDH organisation without having the official diagnosis yet.

hello.its.me

yeah I thought that would be case. I'm just quite annoyed, and maybe angry, because the possibility of autism was ignored almost al my life as mental health problems and only when one teacher pushed for it, they referred me. I've now missed out on all the accomdations at school and exams that I needed and throughout school, struggled and missed out on a lot. Luckily my uni gives support and accommodations to people with a referral as they see it as a 'working diagnosis'

PinkPistachio

My GP refused to refer me for diagnosis for almost 10 years. I found out they weren't allowed to do that, so got referral. I was told by a male assessor that I couldn't be Autistic as I was female, had been married and had children. This was only 6 years ago! I eventually got NHS diagnosis a year later, age 55... A private diagnosis in England is not taken seriously by many, unfortunately.

jan_Elute

Yea its technically true but in my experience many doctors either don’t know about this or don’t tell you about it. I had to specifically ask to be referred to a specific clinic. Actually referring people always seems to be their last resort

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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Long wait for ADHD assessment - can I go private?

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