peety
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Post by peety on Mar 16, 2018 13:25:55 GMT
Hi all,
A few days ago I had my first (and seemingly only) appointment with a specialist at the Tuke Centre in York. I wanted to report to the forum and get some opinions.
The 90 min interview actually lasted just 40 mins. Only one question asked really which was 'what problems have you had?' The CAARDS and goal achievement forms I'd completed were not mentioned although I was asked to complete a WAARDS (which was not used in the interview) He concluded that while I have most of the hallmark inattentive traits, the level of impairment across my whole life is not great enough to warrant a diagnosis, nor further assessments. His main reservations appeared to be:
1) I have good GCSE results, and a degree albeit not a very good one.
2) Not all my jobs have ended in failure
3) I have no hyperactive traits (poor sleeping, hand fidgeting don't count)
4) My audio hypersensitivities / misophonia are categorically not due to ADHD (he recommends I see an audiologist)
5) There's not enough from my very early years to suggest ADHD (but we didn't get that far in the interview, he didn't ask me any questions, there's more I could have said, I was caught off guard when he wrapped up to tell you the truth).
He said he's going to write to my GP recommending that I receive some form of therapy to help me cope with my inattentive traits, but it's up to the CCG as to whether I receive any.
My local ADHD support group think I should get a second opinion....and I'm inclined to agree, but I thought it might be helpful to get some feedback from the wider ADHD community.
Many thanks
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Post by vagueandrandom on Mar 16, 2018 15:26:00 GMT
I'm sorry to hear this peetyI think you have grounds for a second opinion, or a complaint (but I don't know about complaints to private providers commissioned by NHS, which is what the Tuke is) You should have at least been given a full and thorough assessment, even if the conclusion was the same. ADHD is a complex thing to diagnose and 40 minutes without examining all your supporting evidence, isn't enough. I got the same from my autism assessment: not enough impairment for a diagnosis, but significant traits, but I had a thorough 3 hour assessment, so I accepted their conclusion. I'm going to try not to rant now about NHS commissioning private providers for diagnosis, but discouraging medication because they don't want to cover ongoing costs. (I've heard this about Tuke before) I'm sure you'll have heard other stories from your local support group.
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Post by ADDP on Mar 16, 2018 19:58:25 GMT
Dude?
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beowulf
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Post by beowulf on Mar 19, 2018 13:55:38 GMT
Sounds like their basic function is to turn people away, and it was business as usual on the day of your appointment.
FWIW my comments would be:
1) By themselves, your academic results are irrelevant. If you did quite well it might mean that you are quite intelligent and unimpaired, or it might mean that you are very intelligent and impaired. You can't tell from the results. Similarly if somebody does badly it doesn't mean they have ADHD - it could just be that they are not very academic. You have to judge impairment against the person's potential, so the way to get around "well you managed XYZ OK" is to say "yes but I could have done much better". You need evidence for that - could be in your school reports, could be from people who knew you at the time.
2) Same thing. You can have inattentive type ADHD and still hold down a job, but what kind of job might you have had if it wasn't for the inattentiveness?
3) Irrelevant - inattentive type ADHD is a recognised clinical presentation. You don't have to have any hyperactive symptoms. It's no good them saying there isn't enough impairment for it to count as ADHD unless there are hyperactive symptoms, because then you could never have inattentive type. You can't have ADHD without impairment - it's part of the definition, so if inattentive type ADHD is recognised, that means that inattentive symptoms can be sufficient impairment by themselves.
4) No idea about this, he could well be right. If he is backed up by the interweb, I would just drop this. Maybe you made too many weak points and the strong points got lost.
5) He can't make that judgment without asking you for the info.
It's unfair that it is so much harder via the NHS.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2018 19:27:15 GMT
Are you sure? What does the DSM say? Who cares? The tickbox attendant 'assessing' you does. Demonstrable impairment in at least two environments: Does your family hate you? Do your work chums hate you? School chums? Romantic relationships? Casual friendships? Demonstrable impairment via at least two of the three core traits: 1. Impulsivity (polarising; your opinions or actions are always too much for certain types of people, including yourself) 2. Hyperactivity 3. Inattention There's exceptions to every rule and nuances to every exception. Best of luck!
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gftchris
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Post by gftchris on Mar 20, 2018 13:49:21 GMT
Hey, I had written a post earlier but when I read it back it sounded really douchey, so I deleted it - sorry if you read it and it came across like that. Anyway, what I was trying to say is, you could look at my life and not think I've been particularly impaired, but with context, I really feel like I was; yet I was given a diagnosis for inattentive variant ADHD, so it's not impossible. That was from SLaM, after being referred by my GP.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2018 14:44:01 GMT
I often do the same I spent nearly two hours crafting a reply to someone once. By the time I hit post, I was sure: 1. It couldn't offend anyone. 2. I was not posting for my own amusement/pleasure/self-interest. My post was deleted by the guy I was trying to help promote. Can't help everyone! I think (on this board) as long as your intention is to, genuinely, save someone some heartache, you can't stray too far. Nobody should have to become well versed in their own disability just to have a realistic shot at getting some help but this is the world we live in, it seems. This is why I sometimes feel compelled to jump into threads like this. If you allow information to be misrepresented (even with the best of intentions) within an environment as vulnerable as ours, people may be shown the door when they should be shown a diagnosis. It's times like these when we are most destructive; when there's nothing left to lose. The sphere of influence from one knock back can be huge. Family, friends, economy? I think I'm rambling now, oops!
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