I don't have ADHD, but three private clinics say I do

A starring NHS advisor psychiatrist has met maine successful idiosyncratic and concluded I don't person ADHD - attraction shortage hyperactivity disorder. Yet, aft shorter assessments online, 3 backstage clinics person told maine I bash - and offered maine almighty medication.

"You acceptable the criteria for ADHD precise well. You'll person it successful writing, officially that you person been diagnosed. There is nary expiration day for this. You were diagnosed for life," says the scientist done the machine screen, arsenic I beryllium astatine my room table.

I americium moving undercover, utilizing my mediate sanction James, to analyse backstage clinics that tin connection ADHD assessments astatine a clip erstwhile NHS waiting times person risen, successful immoderate areas, to much than 5 years.

The appraisal implicit Zoom, with a session called Harley Psychiatrists, costs £685 and takes 45 minutes. As my assessor asks her quick-fire questions, she appears to beryllium slouched connected a sofa wearing a tracksuit top.

"Did I person problems concentrating astatine school?"

I effort my champion to reply but the surface keeps wobbling arsenic she struggles to get comfortable. The full clip she plays with her hairsbreadth and I get the consciousness she isn't focusing completely.

At the end, she diagnoses maine with ADHD - a lifelong condition. It is simply a neurodevelopmental disorder, with symptoms falling into 2 categories - inattentiveness, positive hyperactivity and impulsiveness.

Stunned, each I tin accidental backmost to my assessor is: "It's a batch to instrumentality in."

Things were precise antithetic erstwhile I met Dr Mike Smith, a advisor psychiatrist who leads a specializer big ADHD work successful the NHS. I told him astir my probe and helium said helium besides had concerns astir however immoderate backstage providers were operating. He agreed to amusement maine however an appraisal should beryllium carried out.

Ahead of the assignment astatine his Leeds clinic, my mum, woman and I were forwarded forms to capable retired - collecting accusation connected my habits, from my puerility up to now. They took hours to complete. Dr Smith was adjacent funny successful speechmaking my schoolhouse reports.

He warned maine erstwhile I arrived: "This is going to get precise personal. Are you OK with that?"

In truth, I wasn't prepared for what followed. I was nether the content I was conscionable going to walk the adjacent mates of hours answering questions astir my deficiency of focus, but Dr Smith wanted to get a afloat representation of my intelligence health. I recovered myself telling him astir immoderate of my hardest times.

When I was 14, I witnessed the aftermath of my sisters being knocked down by a car. Ailis survived, Claire - who was 11 - died. Almost 17 years to the day, my dada died unexpectedly. I was a antithetic idiosyncratic aft those events. The crushed I americium sharing this is due to the fact that I was told the effect of specified trauma tin sometimes manifest itself into symptoms akin to ADHD.

A person of excavation - who had been privately diagnosed with the information - had erstwhile suggested to maine that I mightiness person it too. Some of ADHD's recognised symptoms felt uncomfortably acquainted - I tin hide things, I fidget, I volition connected juncture portion retired of agelong meetings.

My societal media feeds had been filling up with videos talking astir ADHD and I could subordinate to them. But connected the whole, I was dubious astir whether they related to me. None of these things seemed to truly interaction my life.

Dr Smith took the clip to research these life-altering moments and the struggles they person caused. He says that erstwhile considering the symptoms a diligent describes - specified arsenic uncovering it hard to absorption - it's important to differentiate betwixt ADHD and different things that whitethorn explicate them, specified arsenic the effects of trauma.

Before diagnosing idiosyncratic with ADHD, it is besides captious to found that immoderate symptoms are having a superior interaction connected their life.

"I can't spot immoderate grounds you've got immoderate superior occupation with your concentration, your hyper-activity, oregon your level of activity, oregon impulsivity," Dr Smith told me, aft much than 3 gruelling hours.

Contrast this lengthy heavy dive into my beingness and property with the consultation I received astatine Harley Psychiatrists - during which determination was nary interrogation of however prevalent oregon superior immoderate of my symptoms were. There were fewer follow-up questions.

Admittedly I was relieved I didn't person to spell implicit immoderate of the traumatic experiences successful my beingness again, but I felt similar the scientist had missed immoderate important background.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) sets retired however individuals should beryllium diagnosed successful the UK with ADHD. To conscionable the threshold, a diligent volition person a persistent signifier of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms, which often include:

Dr Smith - the NHS advisor - told maine I hadn't met the objective threshold for immoderate of the 18 symptoms associated with ADHD.

By comparison, the scientist who assessed maine for Harley Psychiatrists told maine I had met the threshold for 15 retired of the 18 ADHD symptoms. A week later, I discussed attraction plans with a psychiatrist moving for the company. This lasted little than 10 minutes and I was rapidly prescribed a stimulant commonly utilized to dainty ADHD. There was besides nary notation of different treatments, specified arsenic talking therapy.

The medicine interacts with chemicals successful the encephalon and tin assistance idiosyncratic with the information ore better, beryllium little impulsive and consciousness calmer.

The almighty controlled cause is harmless and effectual if prescribed properly, but it has the imaginable to origin superior broadside effects. ADHD medicine tin origin insomnia, elevated bosom complaint and precocious humor unit - and successful uncommon cases panic attacks, psychosis and seizures. But the psychiatrists from Harley Psychiatrists simply advised maine to person a bully meal earlier taking it, without talking done the imaginable superior broadside effects.

Harley Psychiatrists' lawyers told the BBC that clinicians besides instrumentality relationship of accusation successful pre-assessment forms,. They said: "diagnosis of ADHD… depends connected the answers fixed by the patient" and that determination had been "numerous patients [assessed by the clinic] not diagnosed with ADHD".

"The proposition our lawsuit is misdiagnosing adults with ADHD is untrue," they said, arsenic was the proposition that capable checks were not being conducted.

The session accepts that I "should not person been capable to get a prescription", and has updated its processes.

Lawyers for the scientist who archetypal assessed maine said that portion her investigating had produced results "indicative of a diligent having ADHD", specified a "diagnosis is formally made by a psychiatrist".

Lawyers for the psychiatrist who prescribed the drugs said their lawsuit stood by his diagnosis - and would "normally instrumentality betwixt 30 and 45 minutes", but successful this lawsuit helium "did not see it necessary" due to the fact that of the psychologist's report.

I deliberation I'd person felt much reassured if I could person seen some the scientist and the psychiatrist successful person. But this wasn't an option, contempt the institution website saying its "main clinic" was located connected Harley Street, cardinal London's prestigious aesculapian neighbourhood.

When I aboriginal visited the code listed connected Harley Psychiatrists' website, I was told implicit the intercom that determination were nary psychiatrists connected site. Harley aboriginal told america it has routinely seen patients astatine that location, adjacent though it doesn't person a imperishable session connected the site.

This full probe began erstwhile Panorama received an email from a acrophobic mother. She had written to america to accidental she felt her 21-year-old girl had been diagnosed excessively rapidly by a backstage session and that it had prescribed her beardown drugs with nary due follow-up care.

As I started to probe the taxable - speaking to NHS staff, specialists, academics, erstwhile patients and whistleblower unit astatine backstage clinics - I heard a communal refrain.

"If you're consenting to wage for an assessment, you'll get a diagnosis."

A erstwhile Harley Psychiatrists' diligent I spoke to - Casey - says she chose the institution for the name, its determination and affirmative online reviews. Casey was being treated connected the NHS for anxiety, but says aft seeing an Instagram station astir ADHD she became convinced that she had that too.

Put disconnected by the agelong NHS waiting lists, she borrowed the wealth to publication a £685 appointment. Her acquisition was akin to mine. She was diagnosed successful 2 stages - with a scientist assessment, followed by a video telephone with a psychiatrist. The appointments lasted akin lengths of clip to excavation and she was prescribed stimulant medicine astatine the end.

"It was benignant of similar a diagnostic factory," she recalls.

"If I didn't person ADHD," she said, "I can't ideate them saying, 'No, you don't person it.'"

Casey says her calls and emails were often ignored - and yet the session was speedy to marque interaction erstwhile she posted a antagonistic reappraisal online, demanding that she region it.

The session emailed her saying her "false reappraisal and each different correspondence" had been passed connected to its "legal department".

Casey says she felt profoundly upset by the acquisition and - aft leaving Harley Psychiatrists - she was signed disconnected enactment for 4 months. Since then, Casey has been seeing a antithetic psychiatrist and her attraction has improved.

Lawyers for Harley Psychiatrists accidental they person ne'er sought the removal of antagonistic reviews that were truthful, lone those that they assertion contained falsehoods.

More and much radical are turning to backstage clinics for an appraisal to find whether they person ADHD. Panorama investigates whether immoderate are giving unreliable diagnoses

Watch the afloat probe connected BBC iPlayer now

It volition beryllium connected BBC One connected Monday 15 May astatine 20:00 successful England and Scotland, and 20:30 successful Wales and Northern Ireland

By the clip I was booked successful for my 2nd backstage appraisal with a institution called ADHD 360, I had an thought of what to expect. ADHD 360 is simply a backstage supplier that has won a fig of NHS contracts.

The authorities is keen to outsource NHS enactment to backstage firms to tackle lengthy waiting times. However, we had been told by patients, erstwhile unit and immoderate wrong the NHS, that determination were superior concerns regarding however ADHD 360 assessed people.

It outgo £950 to beryllium assessed and treated by ADHD 360, and my online appraisal - carried retired by a pharmacist - was longer than with Harley Psychiatrists, lasting conscionable implicit an hour. There were much follow-up questions astir immoderate of the answers I had given, but it did not consciousness thorough.

At 1 point, I did notation that my sister had died, but the clinician - who seemed to beryllium uncomfortable by what I conscionable said - moved connected quickly. There was besides an interlude arsenic we discussed our favourite Leeds United players.

The assessor totted up my scores from what appeared to beryllium a checklist of symptoms, confirmed that I met the criteria for ADHD, and proceeded to prescribe a higher dose of stimulant medicine than had been recommended by Harley Psychiatrists.

ADHD 360 told america it is regulated arsenic an NHS supplier and delivers "high modular assessment, diagnosis, attraction and care" for thousands of patients. Its "qualified clinicians" are trained successful its ain academy and its "assessments conscionable each accepted champion practices". It said connected this juncture its "prescription argumentation was regrettably not followed", and "procedures person present been reviewed" and enhanced.

My last online appraisal - with ADHD Direct successful Glasgow - outgo £1,095 and was conducted by a nurse. She was new, and truthful was being supervised by different nurse. The appraisal was a small longer - 1 hr and 40 minutes - and I had a follow-up assignment 3 weeks aboriginal to get my results.

Once again, I was told I had ADHD and offered stimulant medication, but this clip I told the session I was a newsman earlier I got my prescription.

Lawyers for ADHD Direct told america determination would person been much checks earlier I was prescribed immoderate drugs - and that the session stood by its diagnosis and had carried retired a "full developmental and psychiatric history".

A institution audit had shown that 10% of patients seen did not person ADHD and that determination was "no incentive… to over-diagnose" - they said.

So contempt having had a broad NHS appraisal carried retired by a advisor psychiatrist which concluded that I don't person ADHD - I present besides had 3 backstage diagnoses saying the opposite.

There's nary uncertainty that galore radical who spell backstage volition person ADHD.

But my probe shows however immoderate clinics manus retired unreliable diagnoses - and that tin enactment susceptible patients astatine risk.

Additional reporting by Aisling Gallagher