blach98
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Post by blach98 on Apr 9, 2018 2:00:38 GMT
Hi, I've been referred by my GP for some kind of assessment this week for ADHD in Staffordshire.
I'm not sure what it's going to be though, it's not based in any kind of mental health or doctor's building, it's in some council office building and it says its for the 'west non psychosis pathway' or something like that. The nurse on the phone suggested ADD which I thought was weird because that term is no longer in use I believed.
Does anyone have any more insight on what kind of assessment this might be? Do I have to take school reports, family members or anything? Am I going to be there long? Obviously it's impossible to say the exact answer... but I just don't know what to expect right now. Will this only take one assessment or could it take more?
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Post by vagueandrandom on Apr 10, 2018 9:53:13 GMT
Hi, I've been referred by my GP for some kind of assessment this week for ADHD in Staffordshire. I'm not sure what it's going to be though, it's not based in any kind of mental health or doctor's building, it's in some council office building and it says its for the 'west non psychosis pathway' or something like that. The nurse on the phone suggested ADD which I thought was weird because that term is no longer in use I believed. Does anyone have any more insight on what kind of assessment this might be? Do I have to take school reports, family members or anything? Am I going to be there long? Obviously it's impossible to say the exact answer... but I just don't know what to expect right now. Will this only take one assessment or could it take more? Hi blach98 It could be a preliminary assessment to see if there's enough evidence of ADHD to warrant the expense of a specialist assessment. This is quite common. It's also usual to screen for MH conditions to rule other explanations. If they haven't asked for school reports and haven't sent you reporting questionnaires it's unlikely that it's a diagnostic assessment. Don't worry about the nurse using ADD . . .you're lucky they recognise it at all!
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blach98
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Post by blach98 on Apr 10, 2018 22:44:14 GMT
Do you think it's a good idea to take reports just in case? The letter says to come early to complete some assessments.
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Post by vagueandrandom on Apr 10, 2018 22:54:58 GMT
It won't do any harm. . .better to be prepared for awkward/unsympathetic questions. . .
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blach98
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Post by blach98 on Apr 10, 2018 23:01:14 GMT
thanks, the nurse on the phone seemed pretty nice and suggested ADD first. what kind of unsympathetic questions do you think they could ask? i remember my gp was saying stuff like how did you do good in school etc. but i told him my parents gave me a lot of structure and i never found the work that hard, and even with that my school reports show the teachers main concern was my concentration and not participating.
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Post by vagueandrandom on Apr 10, 2018 23:18:14 GMT
You seem to have ’good' school reports. .and the point about structure is good. . .
The big question all medics want to know is 'and what do you hope to gain from a diagnosis?’
an answer . . .an explanation. . .closure . . .acceptance . . .
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blach98
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Post by blach98 on Apr 10, 2018 23:37:15 GMT
You seem to have ’good' school reports. .and the point about structure is good. . . The big question all medics want to know is 'and what do you hope to gain from a diagnosis?’ an answer . . .an explanation. . .closure . . .acceptance . . . thanks for the help!
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unomie
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Post by unomie on Apr 11, 2018 4:06:08 GMT
Are school reports usually required for a diagnosis? One of the reasons I went undiagnosed is I never spent more than a year or two in the same school and don't fancy trying to get reports from all over the US and EU :/
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Post by vagueandrandom on Apr 11, 2018 6:19:51 GMT
unomie school reports aren't a requirement, but evidence of symptoms from childhood are part of the diagnostic process. Observer reports from someone who knew you well as a child are usually asked for ie family member. . .if you don't have this, someone who knows you very well now would do.
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blach98
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Post by blach98 on Apr 11, 2018 11:30:13 GMT
unomie school reports aren't a requirement, but evidence of symptoms from childhood are part of the diagnostic process. Observer reports from someone who knew you well as a child are usually asked for ie family member. . .if you don't have this, someone who knows you very well now would do. Hey, just had it and it went good or bad, depending on how you consider adhd lol... she's referred me to the psychiatrist, so it turned out it was just the general mental health services, but it was the same nurse and she agreed with me on all of it. I brought the reports but she said she didn't need to see them but asked why I brought them anyway, and told me they'd be more useful for the psychiatrist. Got the psychiatrist appointment in 1 1/2 months now so not too bad was expecting a lot worse. Not sure if I'll need another one after that, but we'll see and I'm happy. She said she's going to send me questionnaires for me and my parents to do before the psychiatrist appointment and put it down as urgent. She also ruled out anxiety, depression and other disorders which is good I guess. also she asked me the what do you hope to gain question... you're a genius
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foxglove
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Post by foxglove on Apr 13, 2018 10:28:07 GMT
Well done for getting this far with your assessment. 1.5 months seems quite good Do you or anoyone else know what kinds of questions they ask family members?
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blach98
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Post by blach98 on Sept 13, 2018 21:53:16 GMT
Update, got officially diagnosed in July and prescribed Strattera (atomoxetine) tried it for a month and I liked it, it really helped my mood and reduced anxiety, but did nothing for focus or attention. Now I'm prescribed Concerta 18mg and it's really good, probably going to move up the dose as it's losing effectiveness now though.
Not bad at all for an area with no official ADHD specialists.
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jessie
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Post by jessie on Sept 22, 2018 14:52:04 GMT
Hi, thanks for sharing your experience. I'm in Staffordshire too so it's really good to hear that we can get proper support nearby. I was preparing myself for a battle with my GP and then a really long wait for a referral so it's heartening to see you have found diagnosis and treatment relatively quickly. Hope it's still going well with Concerta, have you had any support in terms of coaching/counselling?
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