Clients come to me confused about what is going on for them, some with an ADHD diagnosis and wanting help with managing their diagnosis and how to live with their symptoms, some are waiting for diagnosis and others suspect they might have ADHD.
How Common is ADHD?
ADHD definitely seems more common to me than it was. Whether it is because there is more information out there and people can start to put the pieces of the jigsaw together for themselves or whether it is because ADHD is much more recognised, accepted and getting easier to diagnosis.
Some say that 1 in 4 adults have some form of ADHD. I think is important to remember that symptoms that might be thought of as ADHD can have different root causes and so it is important to really check out your symptoms with a professional, usually via a doctor referral to a specialist who can advise on medication if your diagnosis is confirmed (and if you want to take the medication route; many people manage their condition without medication). Talking therapies are recommended to help manage and live with ADHD such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Do I Have ADHD?
If you would like to investigate if you have ADHD then a good starting point for adults is to try the self-assessment tool on the ADHDUK.Co.UK web site. This site is run by a doctor with ADHD. Such a useful site.
If your self- assessment comes out as a likely diagnosis you can then take this along to your doctor to ask for an assessment referral. As with everything these days there will be a long waiting list so I would advise you to get this done as soon as you can to start the ball rolling. If you think you have ADHD and are worried about NHS waiting times please look at the diagnosis pathway page on this web site, which has information on your NHS Right to Choose.
With all best wishes to you and please see my blogs below for further information on ADHD:
‘What is ADHD? – Recognising the Symptoms’ and ‘How I work as a Therapist with clients with ADHD’.
Click here if you would like to find out more about working with me.