Diagnosis Information

So you think yourself or your child may have ADHD but you have no idea what to do next?

Here is a step by step for you to follow to help the process and not make it feel so daunting.

Adults

1.Make a list of Symptoms

First step is write a list of all the ADHD symptoms you believe you have. Include examples.

Next step is write a list of symptoms you believe you also had as a child. Include examples of what comments you would get from teachers at school or in reports. What comments your parents or other adults would say about you. Times when you felt you really struggled at school or in your social life.

If you feel comfortable, speak to your parents about what you were like as a child and if any of the symptoms you have listed, resonate for them.

Look at your parents. Do you see symptoms in your parents that you may not have seen before? ADHD is genetic. So either one or both of your parents will have it. This can help to believe that you do actually have symptoms because you can also see them in your parents.

2.Online Quiz or Symptoms Test

There are a few online quizzes that you can take to see if you may have ADHD. Sometime these quizzes can ask questions you may not have even thought of. And can also help you to believe that you may have it if you are questioning it.

3.Research Psychiatrists that are taking new patients

There is a shortage of psychiatrists in order to meet the demand at the moment. So it can be difficult finding one who is taking new patients.

The best thing to do is research a list of potential psychiatrists and then start calling them to see if they are taking new patients.

Once you have a name, you can go to your GP for a referral.

If you haven't been able to find a psychiatrist, your GP might have some suggestions, so continue to the next step of making a GP appointment.

4. Make a GP Appointment

In order to go see a psychiatrist, you need to get a referral from your GP. Your GP will want to know the reasons why you think you have ADHD before giving you the referral. Be armed with the list you made prior to your appointment. You will also need this for the Psychiatrist.

Remember that most GP's don't know a lot about ADHD. They only know the very basics. They are not specialists in that field. I have heard many stories of GP's dismissing the patient's suggestion of having ADHD and saying that it is just a "fad" at the moment. Please do not listen to such nonsense. No-one wants to have ADHD. No-one is going to make it up. No-one is going to write a list of symptoms with examples from adulthood and childhood to prove it. No-one should ever doubt your gut feeling on something to do with your own body.

If this happens, confidently say that "I am struggling with managing my life and I believe I have ADHD. I would like to see a specialist who is trained in this area who can make an educated decision about it. I would like the referral please"

If you are still denied, get a second opinion. And if necessary a third or a fourth. Don't ever doubt your gut feeling on it. Because the only thing that will happen is that the symptoms become worse overtime, and you start struggling more and more and eventually get to a point that you literally cannot cope anymore. There is no point waiting to get to that point. Push and fight for yourself now when you have the ability to, to reduce any future suffering, because I guarantee you've already suffered enough up until this point.

5. Make Psychiatrist Appointment

Once you have your referral make your Paediatrician Appointment ASAP. The wait to get an appointment can be 3 - 6 months, if not more. So the sooner you make it the better.

6.While waiting for your appointment

While waiting for your appointment, you may want to try a few things to help your ADHD symptoms and understand how it affects you.

Research ADHD and get a really good grasp on what it actually is. Read, listen to podcasts, youtube videos, Instagram or tick tock reels, join ADHD Facebook groups, attend talks or events that discuss ADHD.

Try supplements to see if some of your symptoms become more manageable. Go and have a look at the list of supplements I have suggested that may help you. You do need to take them daily and for probably a week or so to start noticing any difference.

It would also probably be a good idea to get full bloods done to see where you may be deficient. Your psychiatrist will probably recommend doing this anyway, so it might be a good idea to get that done before you have your appointment.

Talk to someone. Realising you have ADHD can be quite overwhelming and bring up lots of feelings of shame, resentment, grief and anger. Talking to a friend or family member or even seeking professional help from a counsellor or a therapist.

Start adopting some strategies to see if they help you to manage better. Also seeing an ADHD coach can also be extremely beneficial for you to be able to see the areas you may be struggling and help to implement strategies.

Children

To get an official diagnosis for ADHD for children you need to see a Paediatrician. This is your end point. There are a few steps you need to go through to get here though.

1.Testing

At some stage your child will need to go through some form of testing to confirm an ADHD diagnosis. I believe this is the first step. By getting the testing done first it means you get peace of mind confirming what your gut had thought. It also means you can share this information with the school in order to put strategies in place while waiting for an official diagnosis.

There are 2 different tests that can be done. The Connors 3 rating scale and the WISC-V intelligence test.

WISC-V - measures a child’s intellectual ability and 5 cognitive domains that impact performance and needs to be carried out by a clinical psychologist generally over two appointment times.

The Connors test is designed to measure a range of behaviours in children from 6 to 18 years of age. Conners 3® uses multiple rated scales to assess ADHD concerns such as inattention, hyperactivity and related issues such as aggression. This can be carried out by a school psychologist, Paediatrician or Psychiatrist. Questions are provided to both the teacher and the parents.

Basically the WISC-V test measures your child's cognitive function while the Conners 3 test measures behavioural issues. Two totally different things.

I have been told that the Conners test can still be subjective as it is based on observation only. Where as the WISC-V test is pretty black and white. It will pick up any areas of cognitive function that your child is lower than average. It will also pick up where your child'd cognitive function is higher than average. The typical ADHD brain will generally show quite high functioning of certain cognitive function and also quite low areas of cognitive function. The fluctuation between high and low scores is where the red flag is raised for ADHD. Someone without ADHD will have very similar and steady scores across the board rather than such a vast contrast. There is no subjectivity with this test.

I have only used the WISC-V test for my children and found it extremely useful in knowing their overall intelligence, what areas they may need to be extended or areas they may need support. It's also measurable. So it can be repeated as the child gets older in order to see the gains that have been made through various types of therapy and/or medication.

2. Find a Paediatrician

There is a shortage of Paediatricians in order to meet the demand at the moment. So it can be difficult finding one who is taking new patients.

The best thing to do is research a list of potential Paediatricians and then start calling them to see if they are taking new patients. Be persistent. Take any Paediatrician who will take your child on. You can always change Paeds at a later date if you get into the one of your choice.

If medication is the reason why you are wanting to see a Paediatrician, then any will do when there is such a shortage. If you want one that is more holistic or specialises in ADHD then of course keep trying to get in to them. You can always change later.

Once you have a name, you can go to your GP for a referral.

If you haven't been able to find a Paediatrician, your GP might have some suggestions, so continue to the next step of making a GP appointment.

3. Make a list of Symptoms

For both your GP and Paediatrician appointment, you will need to have a list of the symptoms your child exhibits and examples to demonstrate why you think your child has ADHD. Be as specific as you can.

A common list includes:

• Fidgeting - biting nails, wiggling foot while seated, rocking on chair, picking skin, playing with buttons or zips on clothing etc

• Inability to focus - ask them to brush their teeth and they get distracted by a toy on the floor along the way so start playing with that and forget they are meant to be brushing their teeth.

• Inability to follow instructions - you ask them to unpack their bag, put their bag away and get changed. They unpack their bag then forget what they are meant to do next.

• Impulsive - struggles to wait their turn to talk. Will talk over their siblings if they want to tell you something.

4. Referral from GP

In order to go see a Paediatrician, you need to get a referral from your GP. Your GP will want to know the reasons why you think your child has ADHD before giving you the referral. Be armed with this information prior to your appointment. You will also need this for the Paediatrician. If you have done the testing, and have the results, this alone should be enough, but having a list of the symptoms your child exhibits and examples is extremely useful.

5. Make Paediatrician Appointment

Once you have your referral make your Paediatrician appointment ASAP. The wait to get an appointment can be 3 - 6 months, if not more. So the sooner you make it the better.

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