My ADHD Diagnosis Journey

I’m now three-and-a-half years into my ADHD diagnosis. I was diagnosed in December 2021 (thanks, Nic). And that journey has obviously had its challenges, it’s had its pitfalls, it’s had the social media battles about ‘everybody getting diagnosed’ and then people questioning diagnosis processes. 

The BBC Panorama programme was horrific to be spiralling on the back of, you know, ‘Everybody’s got this, everybody’s on the spectrum,’ all of that. And then some organisations not necessarily jumping through the right hoops. The whole thing’s got a bit of a reputation that it’s an issue and now we’re onto medication shortages and how there’s not enough meds for everybody who is getting diagnosed and all that, which isn’t actually the case.
So yeah, it’s been a bit hard. 

I mean, I do stay away from the news in a lot of ways. Obviously, my ears prick up whenever I hear ADHD on the BBC News when I take my Dad’s dog for a walk in a morning, because it’s about the only time I see the news in a week. It’s hard seeing some of the negative connotations and storylines that everybody seems to be pushing at the minute, obviously not just the BBC. 

So, to have the chance again to shoot the awesome Dr Tony Lloyd from the ADHD Foundation where I got my diagnosis those years ago, when he came to visit Consett was just fantastic. He was at Nicola’s fantastic Celebrate Difference at The Hub in Consett to talk about their new service, offering QBe Tests, which is part of the diagnostic chain that I had. I had all my assessments with the team but I had to go all the way to Liverpool to get my QBe test, which is a long way when you don’t really know what kind of test it is. And it’s a medical test in that sense and obviously it’s a bit of a worry, so it was like a three-hour drive, 20 minute test and then drive home. And, now to have that service on the doorstep in a room that I’ve shot a lot, in the Hub, is a cracking service. 

It’s not a full diagnosis, in the sense that you can’t take it to your doctor and say, ‘Give me meds,’ because that’s not how the process works. But it certainly helps on the journey and it can make people’s lives dramatically different just by identifying whether it is ADHD that you have, or whether it’s another anxiety disorder or various other things that can contribute. 

Everybody does need a bit of help these days in different ways and I think certainly for a lot of us, Covid has kind of hit us all over the heads, metaphorically, with different things popping out and ADHD is certainly one of those. So seeing some local services offering this to help people, I mean I think it’s absolutely fantastic. And the event itself was absolutely brilliant. The t-shirts were absolutely awesome, so kudos to whoever in the team come up with them. To own that fidgety head that us ADHD’ers have, it’s just brilliant. Being part of the community in the North East, which is ever growing, but is incredibly supportive and the more services that I can signpost people to – I mean, obviously I signpost everybody to the Hub and they can signpost from there, they’re better placed than I am to signpost, it just helps my ‘helpy’ ADHD-ness to feel like I’m supporting people. 

I have signposted quite a few people over the years which is a complete and utter compulsion and the vast majority have gone on to at least get some additional support to get their heads round what’s going on. And if that is ADHD then great, if it’s something else, then great, it’s just about finding that thing that helps and we could all do with a bit of help these days, can’t we? Because, the stresses and strains of life are significant and if there are services out there that can help, then we should be telling everybody as best we can and singing from the rooftops, to allow people to get that help. 

You don’t know what you don’t know, and that’s the thing, if you feel like you’re struggling and you don’t know where to turn, that’s a really tricky position to be in. If somebody makes a suggestion, at least even if it’s not the right suggestion, if you at least can investigate it. I didn’t know if I had ADHD or not, when Nic told me. I mean, apparently it was evidently clear, but I knew I was struggling and for somebody to go, ‘Have a look at this.’ I mean yes, I went through the whole cycles of, ‘Well, if it’s not this, what is it?’ That bit was hard. But the actual realisation that there is support and things out there to help, irrespective of what it is and I didn’t need to know that second what it exactly was, but just to start on that journey was really useful. 

I think anybody that is struggling and that needs that bit of help, if we all have in our heads, a couple of ideas of where we can signpost people, it’s great. Because it starts the journey, even if that signpost isn’t the end thing, we’re all on these diagnosis journeys and started it with, rather than the end result. But yeah, QBe Tests are being offered in Consett and it’s a fantastic resource and it’s something that will really help a lot of people. I think the waiting list is already significant as you’d expect. So yeah, go and check it out and go and find more details, if you think it would be useful to yourself or one of your friends or loved ones.