Panorama's ADHD programme... and what GOOD assessments look like

Panorama recently produced a programme looking at 3 large private providers and their ADHD assessments, as compared to one NHS Psychiatric assessment. Whilst they showed us what poor ADHD assessments can look like for adults, they didn't unfortunately show what good ones should include for those seeking a private provider and assessment.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advises that a

"diagnosis of ADHD should only be made by a specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician or other appropriately qualified healthcare professional with training and expertise in the diagnosis of ADHD. This assessment should include a discussion of the patient’s symptoms, a full review of their mental health history and consideration of information about the patient that has been supplied by people who know them."

We complete our assessments with 2 highly trained and skilled Clinical Psychologists. Our assessments including information gathered from a wide range of sources across the persons' lifespan to ensure we have a full picture, looking at childhood and current symptoms, and a comprehensive set of questionnaires and history taking to look for evidence which supports or excludes ADHD as a possible explanation for the person's difficulties.