Share review of Psychiatry-UK

Psychiatry-UK 2021-09-20 Person 5 5 0

After initially starting my ADHD diagnosis process via my local GP and feeling dismissed, unheard and a little hopeless with a potential few year wait with a clinic with bad reviews of diagnosis ADHD in adults (including a few reviews suggesting they have said if you have completed a degree you can't have ADHD) , Psychiatry UK have been an absolute godsend before I even had my first contact with them. Their website is helpful with so much useful information and I feel like without their information and template letter on the NHS Right to Choose I wouldn't have been re-referred at all. Dealing with P-UK has been great- the first phone had to book an appointment was incredibly quick and the person I dealt with was really empathetic. I was surprised at how quick it was and really grateful and nearly in tears and he just kept emphasising that it should be the norm and access to services for adults with ADHD should be easier. All forms were sent out to fill out prior to assessment and was easy to understand. I had a video assessment with Dr Bindman who was professional, fantastic and helpful. She apologised that we had a shorter time for the assessment than she would have liked so went through things really quickly- which I really appreciated as it touched on some things I find hard to talk about but she never made me feel uncomfortable. I think it was about an hour appointment (I may have that wrong though) and in that time as well as assessing me she picked up on things I had never considered- including Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder and a few other things. After the appointment I felt like a huge weight had been lifted. I was worried for days before the appointment that I was overreacting and I didn't have ADHD. Getting my diagnosis has been life changing, has made me reassess things I struggle with daily and find new ways to deal with them. Afterwards Dr Bindman sent me a list of resources that have been really helpful- including the Sleepio sleep course that has changed my relationship with sleep for the better and I now have considerably less sleep issues. Her report from my assessment was detailed too and helpful to look back on. The titration service has been brilliant and has taken a few months of slowly increasing doses of Xaggatin XL and weekly reporting of my blood pressure, heart rate and weight. I felt heard when I said that I was having bad side effects and was given good advice early on to curb side effects that went away soon after. I am now on a stable dose of medication that is controlling the symptoms that made my life harder and I am finding daily life easier. Thank you so much, I am incredibly grateful for your service, your advocacy and your professional and caring staff members. In the past when I have sought help for anxiety, depression and some past physical health issues I haven't had the best experiences and it's made me weary of seeking help, I can't recommend this service enough. It's been a great and life changing experience, thank you.