Divergence 2023-09-14 Person 5 5 0

In 2018 I asked my GP to refer me for an ADHD assessment, having researched the subject for a number of years off and on and being convinced that ADHD was the cause of so many issues I'd been struggling with for a long time. Because I was in my sixties I was referred to the elderly mental health team at a local psychiatric hospital, where I was checked for dementia. My requested ADHD assessment was refused, and I was told I had anxiety and depression and offered antidepressants (despite getting a low score on the anxiety and depression tests). I disagreed with that diagnosis. I knew that I was not suffering from clinical depression, though I was very frustrated and fed up due to my circumstances. Now, five years later, my longstanding suspicions have been confirmed. Thanks to an ADHD peer support group, which I attended for the first time in April 2023, I learned that Andrew Jay was an excellent ADHD clinician here in the North East and was about to launch his own ADHD clinic. Whether to contact Divergence was a no-brainer, now that I'd decided to revisit the possibility of having an assessment, and in no time at all I was having a really helpful telephone conversation with Michael Curtis, quickly followed by a pre-assessment with him. Michael couldn't have been kinder or more respectful, and I really appreciated the fact that not only was he fully qualified to diagnose and treat ADHD but he also had a background and special interest in the care of older people's mental health. At last, here was someone who listened to me properly and fully understood my struggles. All the signs were that I probably had ADHD, he said, and he recommended that I be assessed. He suggested I take my time to think about whether I wanted to go ahead. On midsummer's day I was diagnosed by Andrew with combined ADHD, just a few weeks after my 72nd birthday, and I'm finally getting my life back on track thanks to his care and expertise. I've now spent several hours in conversations with Andrew, including the assessment, and it's been like talking to a very caring friend who wants nothing but the best in life for me. It's abundantly clear that it matters very much to him that each and every person he treats, regardless of their age, has the best possible outcome. I could write a book on what I've learned about ADHD so far and how it has affected or explained my life choices and behaviours in the past. But, more important, during these past few months Andrew has guided and helped me to understand what it will mean in future to live with this atypical brain. I was slightly apprehensive about taking the prescribed ADHD meds, but he has carefully talked me through the implications and the benefits, and I've felt I was in very safe hands. I can't recommend Andrew Jay and his team at Divergence highly enough. Divergence is the epitome of Best Practice. What could have been a daunting experience has been a very positive one of discovery and understanding, and a huge relief after so many years of not really knowing what was wrong with me. Communications throughout have been excellent, and both Michael and Andrew, being ADHDers themselves, have empathy in spades. Last but not least, I would like to thank both for their generosity in often allowing appointments to run over the time allotted.