Private ADHD Assessment for Adults

Undiagnosed ADHD can lead to an increased risk of mental health conditions such as low mood, anxiety and emotional dysregulation. Adults with undiagnosed ADHD are at increased risk of joblessness, often getting fired or moving from one role to another. Undiagnosed ADHD can impact self-esteem and self-confidence, and lead to a negative self-concept. The consequences of undiagnosed ADHD can also present in aspects of daily life, such as poor time-management, difficulty in maintaining finances, relationship difficulties, increased risk of dangerous driving, substance misuse and gambling. The impact of undiagnosed ADHD will vary from one adult to another, with the impact being felt according to the pressures that life present you with and how difficult it is for you to manage the demands of everyday life.

An ADHD assessment for adults within the UK can take from anywhere between 1-5 years depending on the area that you live in and how well the local NHS services are funded. A private assessment allows you to access an expedited appointment, bypassing the long NHS waitlists, which can be offered within 1-2 weeks

An ADHD assessment for adults can take up to 2 hours, however prior to the assessment with the clinician you will be asked to complete comprehensive ADHD pack which consists of validated rating scales for yourself and a family member or friend who knows you well.

An ADHD diagnosis can offer an important and validated explanation of the many challenges that life can present with, but also ADHD diagnosis can also highlight the strengths of many individuals such as the creative impulsivity that ADHD offers. Getting a diagnosis of ADHD a new understanding of how your brain is wired and how to make adjustments in your life to ensure you feel fully supported by yourself and your family around you. It can allow you to understand how ADHD impacts the various areas of your life and learn skills to promote neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to re-wire itself by learning new techniques and strategies to promote executive functioning skills.

The three key symptoms of ADHD are firstly, inattention, which leads to difficulty in focusing and maintaining your attention on a given task. This often leads to becoming easily distracted, either by your own thoughts or by what is happening around you. This can lead to individuals often starting and then not completing a given task as they have got distracted, it can impact your short-term memory and you may struggle to hold information in your mind. The second symptom is hyperactivity, this can lead to individuals often feeling restless and needing to stay busy and consequently struggling to relax, this can often make other family members feel increasingly tired and frustrated due to the excessive energy of such individuals. The hyperactivity is not always visible and can often lead to an inner state of restlessness, with ones thoughts often racing from one topic to another and the individual describes their brain is too active and is difficult to control ones thoughts. The third symptom of ADHD is impulsivity, which means making a decision without thinking through the consequences. Impulsivity can lead to many challenges with poor money management, spending money impulsively, starting relationships which subsequently break down very quickly, impulsivity can lead to people often saying something inappropriate and offending family, friends or work colleagues, engaging in reckless or risky behaviours such as dangerous driving, substance misuse and gambling.

The signs of ADHD can be categorised into signs of inattention and hyperactivity and impulsivity. Signs of inattention are: having a short attention span and being easily distracted making careless mistakes – for example, in schoolwork appearing forgetful or losing things being unable to stick to tasks that are tedious or time-consuming appearing to be unable to listen to or carry out instructions constantly changing activity or task having difficulty organising tasks Signs of hyperactivity and impulsivity are: being unable to sit still, especially in calm or quiet surroundings constantly fidgeting being unable to concentrate on tasks excessive physical movement excessive talking being unable to wait their turn acting without thinking interrupting conversations little or no sense of danger

In an ADHD assessment, the clinician will ask the young person and parents questions to determine the symptoms the child is experiencing and the impact of these symptoms at home, in school and in the childs relationships with family and friends.

An ADHD assessment will consist of a holisitc neurodevelopmental assessment of your child with an experienced childrens and adolescent mental health clinician with extensive experience with the NHS CAMHS services. The assessment will consist of a 2-3 hour appointment which can be arranged face to face or virtual. Prior to the appointment you will be sent a comprehensive ADHD assessment pack, which consists of Conner-3 validated rating scales for the parent, teacher and where relevant the child to complete, a strengths and difficulties questionnaires, and where appropriate a childrens communication checklist. All the information is then put together including the clinical assessment with the clinician to determine the appropriateness of a ADHD diagnosis. This assessment is carried out in accordance with NICE guidance (NG87) and the DSM-5th edition international manual.

An ADHD assessment can be provided by your local CAMHS provider, however if you feel the waiting time for an assessment with the NHS provider is too long you can access a private ADHD assessment with AG & Co Health.

An ADHD assessment is usually carried out after a child's 6th birthday, the reason for this is due to a complicated process which the brain carries out called 'synpatic pruning'. This determines how well the brain is being wired and which parts of the brain are being pruned due to cell death and decay. This process begins to slow down and stabilise in early childhood, after the age of 6. Therefore assessing a child after the 6th birthday is a relaible indicator of how well this process has taken place and the impact of inefficient synaptic pruning.