What is ADHD?
People with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder have brains which have less connections between the “thinking” and the “doing” parts of their brain. As a result they can be very active but struggle to finish tasks, be quite impulsive and struggle with attention and concentration.
These traits are present from a very early age and are maintained through childhood and into adulthood.
ADHD falls into the category of “neurodevelopmental” disorders, which basically means it’s just how your brain is put together and therefore it will always be like this, more or less.
Having an ADHD type brain can make school years really tough. Concentrating in class, not shouting out and being able to keep your emotions in check are all much harder for a young person with ADHD. Sometimes the school and home environment can be adapted to enable those with ADHD to flourish. Sometimes medication can be of benefit to help connect up the “thinking” and “doing” bits of the brain better.
The assessment process
It is really important that young people are assessed properly as once this diagnosis is given it is a lifelong diagnosis. Not that this is anything to be embarrassed or ashamed of, quite the opposite, but it can impact on future carer choices if incorrectly given.
At South Coast CAMHS you will initially have an hour and a half assessment with Dr Reeves to take a full history, see if we are on the right track and offer some initial advice. You will then have a computerised test called a QB check which takes about 20 minutes and is done on our laptop.
Following this there will be series of questionnaires for school, parents and/or the young person to fill in as well as a school observation completed by an experienced member of our team.
All of this information will then be pulled together by a group of experienced specialists from a variety of backgrounds, which we call a multi-disciplinary team. The team will decide on whether or not a diagnosis of ADHD should be given or if something else could better explain the presentation.
At this point Dr Reeves may either confirm a diagnosis of ADHD or suggest other possibilities for explaining things. If a diagnosis is given a full report will be produced with all of our assessments and findings. This process is recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence and will be equal or better than an NHS assessment. We will also provide liaison with school as part of this package to advise on what may be helpful to put in place considering the diagnosis.
Cost of full assessment £1200
Following diagnosis of ADHD
South Coast CAMHS practices ethical medicine. We do not believe that providing a diagnosis without the potential for further help is right. We also do not believe in starting medication that cannot not followed up. As a result, we will only agree to start medication if the young person can be followed up for the following 12 months to ensure safe titration of medication. This would normally involve about four reviews to check physical observations and get feedback on how the medication is working. In some cases, GPs may agree to prescribe the medication that we advise. If so this may reduce costs. If not, Dr Reeves can provide private prescriptions but these will be at an extra cost.
Follow up consultations are £280
Private prescriptions are £20
Should a diagnosis not be given clear reasons as to why will be produced and suggestions as to what would better explain things and what can be done put forward.