DEMAND for ADHD diagnoses has TRIPLED since lockdown, when people spent hours at home spotting potential signs of the disorder.
Now NHS trusts have such huge waiting lists that patients are turning to private clinics for help.
Demand for ADHD diagnoses has TRIPLED since lockdown, when people spent hours at home spotting potential signs of the disorderGetty
But one expert has warned Sun on Sunday Health that patients need to be careful because a misdiagnosis can lead to long-term health struggles.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a behavioural condition believed to affect at least 1.5million adults in the UK.
More than a quarter have difficulty concentrating.
Others are hyperactive and impulsive in their actions and decisions.
At its most severe, without treatment it can have a crippling effect on decision-making, relationships, jobs and mental and physical health.
Only one chance
But the wide-ranging symptoms, including making careless mistakes, being unable to prioritise, organise or stick to tasks, being late, talking too much and interrupting or acting without thinking, can easily be mistaken for other conditions such as autism.
Dr Dimitrios Paschos, consultant psychiatrist at Re:Cognition Health, who has worked with ADHD patients for nearly 20 years, explained: “After the pandemic, demand for diagnoses accelerated and the NHS capacity could not take any more.
“People spent more time at home and saw traits they perhaps hadn’t noticed before.
“With more information available online, it has become common for people to see it in their children and spot the same signs in themselves. To say the demand for assessments has tripled isn’t an understatement.
“Most people only have one opportunity to get assessed.
“If they get it wrong, they get medication they don’t need and the real problem goes untreated. It’s so important to get it right.
“At a first look, ADHD symptoms are ones that anyone can have at any time, so it’s important to understand the difference between ADHD and other conditions, such as anxiety disorders or autism, which need different treatment.
“ADHD is not just a lack of concentration at times.
“Symptoms are intensive, persistent and pervasive. They are lifelong with little variation. They’re present everywhere.”
ADHD was given its name only in the 1980s and then recognised and treated in Britain from 2000.
It tends to run in families, and parents and siblings of someone with ADHD are more likely to have it themselves.
Symptoms can be mild, moderate or severe, and they may continue into adulthood.
It has long been associated with “naughty” schoolboys and is diagnosed in ten times as many boys, because girls are more likely to cover up difficulties, be less disruptive and pay attention in class.
Awareness has increased after celebrity sufferers, including Ant McPartlin, Mel B and Jamie Oliver, have spoken out about their diagnoses.
London-based Dr Paschos, who works with NHS and private adult patients, said that a proper assessment should last at least two to three hours and include a psychological assessment and information from childhood, including school reports.
He explained: “In ADHD, the brain is under-stimulated and sufferers seek stimulation elsewhere. People with ADHD often have trouble sustaining relationships, change jobs frequently — as often as 30 to 40 times.
“And they look for a buzz from caffeine, nicotine, sugar, alcohol or drugs more than other people.
“There’s no typical person with ADHD but one thing common for all of them is a failure to prioritise at every level.”
Dr Paschos said lifestyle changes, including work, hobbies, diet and exercise, are as important as medication for treating the condition.
‘Confirmation can be life-changing’, says Nicola McLean
FOR years, TV presenter and former model Nicola lived in a constant state of fight-or-flight before her ADHD diagnosis.
The mum of two said: “Even as a toddler, my mum said I was full of energy, I wouldn’t sleep much and I’d wake my sister to play.
David CummingsFor years, TV presenter and former model Nicola McLlean lived in a constant state of fight-or-flight before her ADHD diagnosis[/caption]
Nicola said: ‘If you or your child has ADHD then push for the correct diagnosis – it can be life-changing’David Cummings
“At school, I couldn’t concentrate. I left with no GCSEs because sitting still in an exam was unbearable.”
Nicola, 41, who is married to former footballer Tom Williams, went to her GP and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety before receiving medication.
She added: “For years I suffered horrendously with anorexia and bulimia as I tried to cover up my behaviour. My eating was the only thing I could control.
“I was outspoken, I’d drink too much. I’d say to people, ‘I’m just nuts’. Underneath it was really hard. I can’t fill out forms and hate speaking on the phone.
“I failed my driving test nine times, socialising is difficult and organising is impossible.”
Last year she returned to her GP because she knew her medication was not working.
She was finally diagnosed with ADHD and given the correct medication.
She said: “It worked instantly. I am less erratic, distracted, scatty and nervous. I’ve not been bulimic since then.
“ADHD feels like a trendy thing to have now but no one would want this.
“If you or your child has it then push for the correct diagnosis – it can be life-changing.”