{"id":26072,"date":"2025-04-15T23:00:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T23:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=26072"},"modified":"2025-04-16T10:28:35","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T10:28:35","slug":"womans-private-adhd-diagnosis-led-to-life-changing-medication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=26072","title":{"rendered":"Woman&#8217;s private ADHD diagnosis led to &#8216;life-changing&#8217; medication"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-0 haItSe\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-1 cjDa-dM\">11 hours ago<\/p>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-12 fcCDwR\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-5 evAEAB\">\n<div><span class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-7 kItaYD\">Aileen Moynagh<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>BBC News NI health reporter<!-- --><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 ejjhCR\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/de113060-1618-11f0-89a1-d79513460a0a.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"BBC A woman with short blonde hair wearing a green jacket and white top smiling at the camera. She is sitting on an orange armchair in front of wall paper with a flower pattern.\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">A woman who was privately diagnosed with ADHD said the first time she took medication for it was &#8220;life-changing&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Jennifer Cousins said it was &#8220;unfair&#8221; that there are no commissioned services for <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/adhd-adults\/\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)<!-- --><\/a> in Northern Ireland. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">A condition that affects people&#8217;s behaviour, the 42-year-old said she was always trying new things, never felt settled, and was impulsive.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;I was ticking all of these boxes of things that I had struggled with for so long, and I was finally able to see why these things were having an impact on my life,&#8221; she said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The exact cause of ADHD is unknown, but it often runs in families.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Ms Cousins said after children in her family were diagnosed with the condition, she realised she had similar traits and found out she had combined ADHD.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It was emotionally a tough time to be diagnosed because, like anyone, you don&#8217;t want to be different,&#8221; she said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;But at the same time it totally made sense.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">&#8216;The chaos of my brain&#8217;<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The mother-of-one said everyday tasks before medication were quite &#8220;stressful and overwhelming&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;There&#8217;s this saying that I think is quite funny and it&#8217;s quite true about the ADHD brain being like an internet browser.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;There&#8217;s 17 tabs open, there&#8217;s three frozen and you don&#8217;t know where the music&#8217;s coming from. So that&#8217;s a bit like me,&#8221; she said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Ms Cousins said getting ready in the morning she is often flitting between tasks. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;All of a sudden, there&#8217;s maybe four or five tasks going on around me.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Unfortunately, sometimes I might cut myself or smash a plate or burn the dinner, so obviously the chaos of my brain displays itself through day-to-day tasks.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Ms Cousins said while phone reminders to do things have been &#8220;my lifesaver&#8221;, she has found <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/add.org\/adhd-burnout\/\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">ADHD burnout<!-- --><\/a> difficult.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It&#8217;s something that happens whenever you&#8217;re so mentally and emotionally and physically energetic every single day,&#8221; she said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Having to focus super hard to try and get things done was really quite challenging, quite debilitating actually.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/78d53ec0-1619-11f0-89a1-d79513460a0a.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A woman sitting outside on a metal chair, next to a metal table. She has short blonde hair and is wearing a white top and green jacket. She is smiling at the camera. Next to her is a large black dog. Behind her is an area of woodchip and behind that an area of grass. In the background a wooden fence and some hedge.\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Ms Cousins said medication helped improve her focus and manage her energy levels.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">She has a <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ipnsm.hscni.net\/shared-care-guidelines\/about-shared-care-guidelines\/\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">shared care agreement<!-- --><\/a> which allows &#8220;seamless shared care and decision making&#8221; between her, her private specialist consultant, and her GP &#8220;in relation to medicines use&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;I was able to manage all the things that I need to do every day like picking up the child from school, cooking a dinner, tidying up round me, looking after the garden, walking the dog.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It made such a difference that I finally felt more like myself.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Ms Cousins said she loves the fact she has ADHD because she said many people are creative as a result.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">She writes songs and poetry, and has recently written a book about her childhood, educating about the signs, symptoms, and behaviours of ADHD.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">Adult ADHD<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/adhduk.co.uk\/the-history-of-adhd\/\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">ADHD was first recognised in adults in 2008<!-- --><\/a>, eight years after childhood ADHD was formally recognised through National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in most of the UK NHS (England, Wales, and NI).<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The DoH said whilst a level of provision is available, it is aware that &#8220;this has also led to inconsistencies between trusts&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/77248c10-161a-11f0-9956-c7de2971286b.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A woman sitting looking at the camera with a neutral expression. She is wearing a black top. She is in a white room with some pictures on the wall. There are some plants on a windowsill while the blinds of a far window are closed.  Behind her is a child&#039;s chair and table with some pots of pencils on it. Also in the background is a table football \" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Sarah Salters, chief executive of <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/addni.org\/\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">ADD-NI<!-- --><\/a>, said the charity receives a high number of weekly referrals for ADHD support programmes.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Since January, they have had 165 referrals, with almost half of those for adults.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">She said the lack of services within the health service for adults is &#8220;diabolical&#8221;, leaving adults &#8220;very frustrated&#8221; with &#8220;nowhere to turn&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Ms Salters said many people are &#8220;forced&#8221; to go private for a diagnosis and also have difficulty getting medication as not all GPs honour the shared care protocol.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">How many people have ADHD?<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">According to Ms Salters, &#8220;about 4% of our adult population have ADHD, that&#8217;s about 70,000 people across Northern Ireland and there&#8217;s possibly a very high number of people who are undiagnosed&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Where you get the right support, the proper strategies in place, people with ADHD start to see that they can do things that they weren&#8217;t capable of doing before,&#8221; she added.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">ADHD assessment<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The DoH has commissioned a &#8220;needs assessment&#8221; with a view to bringing forward recommendations to inform a commissioned ADHD service, which is expected to be completed by the end of June 2025.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">It said any decision &#8220;will be based on an assessment of the level of demand for services, and in the context of future budget availability&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Ms Salters is not confident services will be commissioned as she does not think ADHD is seen as a &#8220;priority&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>11 hours ago<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24693,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26072"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26078,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26072\/revisions\/26078"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}