Post by Addled on Apr 5, 2016 19:30:05 GMT
HI All,
I'm new around here and would like to share my experience trying to get a diagnosis as an adult in Leicester. Sorry.. this is a long one... most of us won't get half way through it...
Firstly, I've suffered from anxiety/depression several times over the last 20 years (I'm 40), and in my latest bout I paid a private psychologist for an assessment and with his help, managed to get my GP to refer me for counselling, rather than just popping the happy pills. It was this counselor who first suggested ADHD, something which I'd had on my mind for a few years. My GP was surprisingly open to the idea of a referal and after a few months I saw a psychologist, who, in turn referred me to the ADHD clinic last April. By this time, I had developed 2 nervous ticks, one in the form of a cough and the other a very obvious neck tick which I've had for about 3 years now and confused the pants of many GPs who said there was nothing they could do! My current GP says he can give me something, but wants to wait to see what I get for ADHD to avoid complications.
The ADHD clinic explained that it would be as many as 12 months before getting my first appointment but I was pleasantly surprised when I got my first appointment, if I remember correctly, in October.
At that time, the psychologist explained that he couldn't diagnose on the first appointment but he expected that a diagnosis of ADHD was highly likely and requested bloods and ECG which were done same day. He did mention that he'd hope to diagnose and prescribe at the next appointment.
I'll mention now that the appointment so far has been the psychiatrist reading out questions on a standard questionnaire and writing my answers. Something I could have done at home and saved the NHS a lot of time and money!
My next appointment was in January where he told me that the ECG was fine, the blood tests were lost and he was unable to diagnose until after the NEXT appointment and only along with another psychiatrist between appointments. I was not happy and I pressed him on the issue at which point he gave me a form to pass to reception requesting to see me in 2 weeks. Reception said that it's "not up to the doctor when he sees me, it's for the outpatient admin staff to decide". So, clinical need is not a consideration at the Bradgate Mental Health Unit in Leicester. I called them up 2 weeks later and they told me that I could expect an appointment no earlier than March! Finally, at the end of March, I get an appointment for the end of MAY !
Needless to say, I'm pretty miffed. If the bloods are not found or he otherwise decides he still can't diagnose, then I'm looking at October for the next appointment! This will be almost 2 years since my GP first referred me.
In the meantime, I'm finding a worsening in the symptoms, especially when my eldest is off school at the same time as the youngest is teething. I've tried to explain to the psychiatrist that I'm having problems and I'm getting concerned, but they, quite frankly, don't give a cr4p although I'm almost at the point of going off the rails when the kids wind me up and the wife tries to nag me in the morning before I've had time to wake my brain up! Something she just can't understand.
I'm willing to pay for a private diagnosis, but only if the NHS will pick up once I have this. I also note that on the NHS website, the Bradgate MHU has a 2 star rating and even their own staff wouldn't recommend going there! Recently one of their patients killed themselves after pleading for help and being turned away. I'm a little worried that I'm in really poor hands here.
I'm new around here and would like to share my experience trying to get a diagnosis as an adult in Leicester. Sorry.. this is a long one... most of us won't get half way through it...
Firstly, I've suffered from anxiety/depression several times over the last 20 years (I'm 40), and in my latest bout I paid a private psychologist for an assessment and with his help, managed to get my GP to refer me for counselling, rather than just popping the happy pills. It was this counselor who first suggested ADHD, something which I'd had on my mind for a few years. My GP was surprisingly open to the idea of a referal and after a few months I saw a psychologist, who, in turn referred me to the ADHD clinic last April. By this time, I had developed 2 nervous ticks, one in the form of a cough and the other a very obvious neck tick which I've had for about 3 years now and confused the pants of many GPs who said there was nothing they could do! My current GP says he can give me something, but wants to wait to see what I get for ADHD to avoid complications.
The ADHD clinic explained that it would be as many as 12 months before getting my first appointment but I was pleasantly surprised when I got my first appointment, if I remember correctly, in October.
At that time, the psychologist explained that he couldn't diagnose on the first appointment but he expected that a diagnosis of ADHD was highly likely and requested bloods and ECG which were done same day. He did mention that he'd hope to diagnose and prescribe at the next appointment.
I'll mention now that the appointment so far has been the psychiatrist reading out questions on a standard questionnaire and writing my answers. Something I could have done at home and saved the NHS a lot of time and money!
My next appointment was in January where he told me that the ECG was fine, the blood tests were lost and he was unable to diagnose until after the NEXT appointment and only along with another psychiatrist between appointments. I was not happy and I pressed him on the issue at which point he gave me a form to pass to reception requesting to see me in 2 weeks. Reception said that it's "not up to the doctor when he sees me, it's for the outpatient admin staff to decide". So, clinical need is not a consideration at the Bradgate Mental Health Unit in Leicester. I called them up 2 weeks later and they told me that I could expect an appointment no earlier than March! Finally, at the end of March, I get an appointment for the end of MAY !
Needless to say, I'm pretty miffed. If the bloods are not found or he otherwise decides he still can't diagnose, then I'm looking at October for the next appointment! This will be almost 2 years since my GP first referred me.
In the meantime, I'm finding a worsening in the symptoms, especially when my eldest is off school at the same time as the youngest is teething. I've tried to explain to the psychiatrist that I'm having problems and I'm getting concerned, but they, quite frankly, don't give a cr4p although I'm almost at the point of going off the rails when the kids wind me up and the wife tries to nag me in the morning before I've had time to wake my brain up! Something she just can't understand.
I'm willing to pay for a private diagnosis, but only if the NHS will pick up once I have this. I also note that on the NHS website, the Bradgate MHU has a 2 star rating and even their own staff wouldn't recommend going there! Recently one of their patients killed themselves after pleading for help and being turned away. I'm a little worried that I'm in really poor hands here.