Adhd psychiatric test

Can anyone who has been diagnosed through the GP with adhd explain to me how the evaluation works? Like what your GP said before a referral and then what happens at the referral? Please thank you

Reply 1

OxFossil

Original post by Anonymous

Can anyone who has been diagnosed through the GP with adhd explain to me how the evaluation works? Like what your GP said before a referral and then what happens at the referral? Please thank you

The protocol for diagnosing ADHD varies from place to place, but GPs basically never diagnose ADHD themselves. Instead, they will do an initial assessment to see if you meet the criteria for a diagnostic assessment by a specialist. Typically, for someone at school that would mean an Educational Psychologist in the first instance (talking to you and your teachers and maybe doing an observation for younger children). The next stage might be an assessment by a Community Paediatrician and/or psychiatrist in a clinic. So it's usually a long process.

The NHS website gives a good idea of the sort of things you might be asked etc. The crucial questions will include whether the symptoms could be explained by anything else (eg anxiety, family circumstances, or situational stuff), whether they happen both in and out of school, and how far they are interfering in daily life. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/diagnosis/

The NHS site is g

Reply 2

Ivartheboneless

GPs don't assess ADHD. you just get a referral to specialist of mental health untill your diagnosed by people with PhDs conning out their ears 😂

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

Original post by Ivartheboneless

GPs don't assess ADHD. you just get a referral to specialist of mental health untill your diagnosed by people with PhDs conning out their ears 😂

my question was about when you first go to a gp and what they say before a referral :smile:

like could they maybe say “i don’t think u have it and im not going to refer you either” or do they have to refer you to a specialist

Reply 4

OxFossil

Original post by Anonymous

my question was about when you first go to a gp and what they say before a referral :smile:

like could they maybe say “i don’t think u have it and im not going to refer you either” or do they have to refer you to a specialist

It will depend on your area of residence/school, as different areas will have different referral protocols. For instance, some GPs may say you have to speak with the school/college advisory teacher and/or Educational Psychologist first. They then decide whether to do a formal assessment before referring on to psychiatric or child development teams for diagnosis.

If you have already left school/college, the GP is likely to play a bigger role. If you look at the site i linked above, you will see what sort ofd info they will want. you should be prepared to talk about anything in your life that might account for your symptoms that isn't ADHD (like recent trauma). Also to include information like what symptoms you have, how often, and for how long, and what you have tried already to make things better.

Reply 5

Ivartheboneless

Original post by Anonymous

my question was about when you first go to a gp and what they say before a referral :smile:

like could they maybe say “i don’t think u have it and im not going to refer you either” or do they have to refer you to a specialist

Doctors can give any opinion in their doctors notes and have a bias about ADHD. But if your symptoms are not resolved that are adhd you get referred to a mental health professional. This is what happened to me.