davydg9
Member's not posted much yet
Posts: 9
|
Post by davydg9 on Apr 1, 2017 11:20:52 GMT
Hey folks second post for myself,i just need some other members advice on any previous experience with the nhs mental health service. To cut it down to make it easier for people to digest(i struggle with long posts)
I have been attending the nhs mental health service for about 3 years now, the reason i was referred in the first place was after years of struggling with day to day life and not understanding why i couldnt get on like so many others did, i stumbled upon "what is adhd" and to say there were similarities would be underselling it.
From head to toe the difficulties i have were all glaring at me and whoever compared the two, so to keep it short, the GP laughed ans shook his head saying "you dont have adhd" but i was referred none the less as i refused to be turned away anymore after years of low mood, sleeplessness and self harm.
I was told within the first half an hour of the mental health assessment that i didnt have adhd and i wasnt depressed.So fast forward 2 years and several anti-pychotic meds and a autism assessment later i am homeless, relationshipless and a failed suicide attempt, the mental health psychologist says i still dont have adhd because i "wasnt disruptive in class" or "jumping out of my seat"
I was told by a private doctor that from his self assessment i had Innatentive combined type which is the most common, which contradicts the mental healths reasons of i wasnt disruptive enough to have it, so basically i have suffered for years under meds and being disbelieved and lost my family and home through symptoms. Has anybody else faced this with the Nhs?
|
|
|
Post by marionk on Apr 2, 2017 9:23:08 GMT
Hi davydg9 welcome to the forums Was the private doctor you saw a GP or an ADHD specialist psychiatrist? GP's cannot diagnose (or rule out) ADHD, it doesn't matter whether they are NHS or private. You need to see an ADHD specialist to get the official dx. You need a GP to refer you to one, though. Imle private specialists are not a lot better than NHS ones when it comes to reviewing indications. They all want proof rather than evidence. Or perhaps that should be "they want proof of evidence". I'll leave it there, as that's a particular rant of mine . . . And I will leave out my other rant about the dx process too (says she, deleting another half a paragraph of irrelevant mutterings ) I'm not sure whether other psychiatrists/mh practitioners can refer you or not, but if you want your GP to take over prescriptions, they will need to be happy with your specialist, so it makes sense to get them to refer you and effectively get their approval at the same time. If your GP is in such denial that when faced with you, specifically requesting referral to an ADHD specialist/service, he refuses, you will need to go to another GP. (It is probably possible to insist, but ultimately you want him to take over px, and you can't force him to do that, so you might as well find another GP straight away.) The really big problem with NHS and 'adult ADHD' is that the NHS was already juggling with cutbacks when 'adult ADHD was officially recognised, so there is very little provision for it. I went private, but with hindsight, I shouldn't have bothered. But then again, having actually taken the medication, I know exactly what it can and can't do. (Not what I need it to!) I am actually getting better results from changing my diet. I also thought that the official DX would help with benefits, but it hasn't, to the extent that I wonder if they take any notice of any dx, including previous ones over the last 7-8 years.
|
|
davydg9
Member's not posted much yet
Posts: 9
|
Post by davydg9 on Apr 2, 2017 11:11:16 GMT
Hey there and thank you for your kind welcome.
The private doctor i have spoken with several times and done a self assessment with is an adhd specialist. It is gordon brown from the glasgow area in scotland and aswell as his private practice he is a ceo of camhs. Without paying the £400 for the private assessment he gave me letters to suggest i have traits of Innatentive combined type adhd to give to my local mental health and therapist. But they completely dismissed it and put me on atomoxetine with no other support or treatment and it barely makes a difference to my daily struggles.
I tried to change GP several times but the first excuse was they couldnt take me because they were friends with my old doctor(turns out they have shares in the practice together so its their own personal practice). I tried to change to GP's in the surrounding area but they are all full.
Through being homeless and having pointed out all these troubles that were obviously heading to a bad end and being ignored i have started a Nhs complaint through the citizens advice. After one meeting with the mental health psychiatrist (with the complaints rep accompanying me) he said he will refer me for a adhd assessment, but ive lost too much to consider this a victory
|
|
jj11
Member's not posted much yet
Posts: 25
|
Post by jj11 on Apr 12, 2017 8:10:49 GMT
Im so sorry this has happened. Hopefully things will turn around.
|
|