Part 1: So, you think you have adult ADHD...
Getting an ADHD diagnosis can change your life. But it doesn't come easy. Or cheap.
Hello! My name is Matthew Hughes. I'm a journalist and software developer from England. And I have ADHD.
I was diagnosed with ADHD-I (inattentive) during the waning months of 2020. The feeling I felt when I first heard my psychiatrist utter the words "I think you have ADHD" was nothing short of cathartic.
A Little About Me
Like an increasing number of people, my diagnosis came well into adulthood. I was 29. And for 29 years, I knew something was wrong. I just didn't know what. Or why. Or how to fix it.
In retrospect, it was obvious. My brain wasn't like other people's. I found it harder than most to concentrate at work or school. My bouts of impulsivity were the stuff of legend.
Like when I dropped out of university at the age of 19 and moved to Switzerland. Or how I pissed off the world's most insane music fandom with a silly throwaway joke and received tens of thousands of angry tweets (and death threats!) as a result.
Those are fun stories. But stories for another time.
Here's the thing. My ADHD diagnosis gave me a path forwards. With medication and therapy, I could start afresh. I could be the best version of myself.
Most importantly, having a diagnosis gave me answers. I could see the root cause of my countless fuck-ups and failings. I'm not lying when I say that being diagnosed with ADHD was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Why I'm Writing This Newsletter
ADHD is finally being taken seriously. According to a recent report in The Telegraph, the number of people receiving treatment for the condition increased by 80 percent over the past five years.
The same report — citing a study from The ADHD Foundation — claims that the number of adults seeking an ADHD diagnosis jumped by 400 percent between 2020 and 2022.
After years of being dismissed as a rare condition only exhibited by the most troubled and disruptive schoolchildren, we're starting to see ADHD for what it is. Something more common than previously thought, and that manifests in several different ways.
That's a good thing! The UK has always been quite parochial when it comes to matters of mental health and neurodivergence. It's not so much that we don't understand these things (although we clearly don't). It's that we venerate stoicism in a way that's really unhealthy. As a result, people who need help are often told to toughen up.
Britain is the country of the stiff upper lip. The Blitz Spirit. We keep calm and carry on.
But while social attitudes towards ADHD have changed for the better, provision for the condition remains dismally inadequate. There aren't enough diagnosticians. There isn't enough support, particularly from the NHS.
When I first told my GP that I suspected I might have ADHD, they were willing to put me on the waiting list for a diagnosis, but warned that it could take five years before I saw someone. And I live in Liverpool, one of the UK's largest cities.
Those who suspect they may have ADHD must find their own way to a diagnosis, often straddling the private and public healthcare systems. My experience was no different.
The UK doesn't treat ADHD like any other medical condition. It's so hard to get a diagnosis and start treatment. Harder than it ought to be. And that's why I'm writing this newsletter.
I'm not a doctor. If you're looking for medical advice, you have the wrong guy. But I can share my story and the stories of others with the condition. And hopefully, I can share some practical advice along the way.
What's Next
This newsletter is a bit of an experiment. I haven't done anything like it before. As such, I welcome feedback. Feel free to drop me a tweet or an email, or leave a comment below.
The next post will talk about how you actually obtain an ADHD diagnosis in the UK. This is the starting point of any ADHD journey. It's the most important. And yes, it's also the toughest.
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