Adhd Assessment
If only it were this easy…?! When I got my diagnosis I felt relieved and even though it took me a while to consider whether to take meds or not, I feel confident in talking about having adhd and connecting to others. That said, for people who cannot access a diagnosis, I believe in self-diagnosis.
MY EXPERIENCE
I arranged for a diagnosis from Psychiatry UK as you can use a service called “right to choose” and still get this via the NHS.*
To do this, I had to do quite a bit of admin.
In case it’s helpful, here are my steps:
I printed out the referral form from Psychiatry UK site and filled it out.
I made a copy for myself.
I uploaded the form to a Google Drive.
Got the folder link (made sure it was shareable) and made a bitly link for it.
Then I made an appointment to see a GP at my surgery.
I took both the paper copy of the letter and a slip of paper with the bitly link.
At the GP, I had a substitute GP who didn’t know about “right to choose”. With some persuasion, she referred me. It might be an idea to take someone with you.
There are forms to fill in on the website. One of them has to be filled in by someone who knew you when you were a child. This could be difficult to arrange, but hopefully it’s possible as it will help with the assessment.
I waited a several months for my appointment - I can’t remember how long. When I called to make the appointment the receptionist was friendly and helpful as was the doctor who assessed me. It was a more pleasant experience than I had with the NHS service. However people have different experiences - this just mine!
*“If you are registered with a GP surgery in England and you are referred by a GP to a consultant or specialist in mental health, you have the legal right to choose the organisation (qualified provider) to whom you are referred, as long as that organisation is providing that service in another part of England.” (https://psychiatry-uk.com/right-to-choose/)
With my autobiographical graphic collection, The Weird & Wonderful Surviveries of Squid Horse, I’m aiming to possibly be the first British-born Chinese comics artist, and if I’m not the first for that, then the first to be writing about being trans and queer.
If you do know of any artists who sound like this, please message me, I’d love to connect and find out more.
Following a lot of reflections, the comics in my book will possibly be in either black and white or in limited colours.
Follow @SquidHorseComics for various comic experiments, projects and news!