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Are you rushing work through just before the deadline, and making careless mistakes along the way?
Are you struggling to focus on tasks in your job or at home?
Do you constantly feel restless, and find it hard to relax?
Is losing and misplacing your phone or your keys causing you to be late for your engagements?
If so, perhaps you should consider an ADHD assessment.
Many individuals face long wait times for ADHD assessments and treatment. These delays can have significant consequences, including increased stress, impaired academic or work performance, and strained relationships. Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for managing ADHD effectively and minimizing its impact on daily life.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is a common mental health problem that is thought to affect around 4% of people in the UK1. Symptoms begin in early childhood, but can often be missed or masked, leading to difficulties in adult life. Over 80% of people living with ADHD are undiagnosed, accounting for around 2 million people in the UK 2.
The impacts of ADHD can sometimes be dismissed as minor. However, untreated, this condition is associated with higher rates of obesity, poorer educational performance, and low self-esteem.3
Fortunately, there is an increasing awareness of this disorder in our society, leading to many more people seeking assessment and treatment. But this has also led to an increased demand on services, with some parts of the country experiencing 10 year waiting lists for assessments.4
This is particularly frustrating when highly effective treatments exist for ADHD, with response rates of around 70% 5. The team at Eton Psychiatrists want to be part of the solution of lowering wait times for individuals, as well as being able to deliver effective treatments promptly, to those that need it.
ADHD symptoms have been recognised and described in literature from around the world for more than 200 years. In the 1790’s Dr Crichton, a Scottish doctor, first recorded a description of symptoms such as poor focus, and children who were more easily distractible than peers. But it wasn’t until 1902, when Sir George Still gave a series of lectures and case reports that the modern diagnostic criteria for ADHD began to develop. He described 15 boys and 5 girls of normal IQ who were impulsive, unable to concentrate, and lacked self-control.
In 1937, Dr Bradley first used stimulants in children to improve academic performance for those with hyperactivity. Methylphenidate (also known as Ritalin and Concerta) became available in 1944. It is now recognised that ADHD can present with symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention, or a combination of the two.
The cause of ADHD is not known. However, neuroimaging studies have shown that there are differences in the brains of children with ADHD, compared to their peers. These differences are seen in children as young three. This strongly implies either genetic causes, or factors in pregnancy, and very early life, which may cause the condition.
ADHD has been shown to be associated with:
