Getting an ADHD Diagnosis in the UK as an Adult The ADHD pathways currently available
Speak to Your GP
In the UK there are a number of different pathways that adults can take, in order to get an ADHD diagnosis, but your first port of call will usually be your GP. Make an appointment and tell them about the struggles you have been facing, and what has lead you to believe that you may have ADHD. They will probably ask you some questions about how your daily life is being impacted by these symptoms, whether there is any family history of ADHD, and how you coped at school etc. Based on your discussion, if they feel that you may have ADHD, they will then refer you to the relevant local NHS service for an ADHD assessment, assuming that there is one, or let you know what options are available to you, if there isn't.
Possible Hurdles with Your GP
However, it is also possible that your GP may come to the conclusion that your issues are down to something else, for example; stress, anxiety, bipolar, depression, BPD, autism, menopause, or any number of other things, that can have similar symptoms. If this is the case, they may be keen to explore other avenues and treatments first, before referring you for an ADHD assessment.
As much as I hate to say it, it is also possible, that your GP may just be a bit rubbish when it comes to ADHD. It doesn't happen all that often nowadays, but there definitely are still a handful of old school die-hards out there, who don't take certain mental conditions, as seriously as physical ones. If you are unlucky enough to have a GP like this, you can ask to see another GP at the practice. Most GPs tend to have particular fields that they are extra knowledgeable about, depending on how and where they trained, so it's worth asking at your practice, if any of the resident GPs specialise in ADHD. If your practice doesn't have a specialist, then I would suggest booking an appointment with one of the younger GPs.
Lack of NHS Services & Huge Waiting Lists
Believe it or not, there are still areas in the UK where they don't have provision for assessing adults for ADHD. Luckily, this has improved significantly over the past 10 years or so, but when I first asked my GP to refer me back in 2010, after my son was diagnosed, he agreed that I almost certainly did have ADHD, and tried to refer me to my local adult ADHD service. A few weeks later I received a letter from them informing me that they only see adults who were diagnosed with ADHD as a child, so there was nothing they could do for me.
Fast forward to June 2018, I went to my GP again, as I knew that mental health was generally being taken more seriously than it had been the first time I had tried to get help, and this time I received a letter telling me that I had been placed on a waiting list for an assessment. Then 3 years and 2 months later, I finally got to the top of the waiting list and was got assessed and diagnosed. However, even then, my assessment was carried out over email and Zoom meetings by an external contractor that had been commissioned by my local NHS service, to try and break the back of the huge backlog.
NHS England - Right to Choose
If you live in an area with no local provision for adult ADHD assessments, or the waiting list is ridiculous, don't worry, there is another way!
If you live in England, you now have a legal right to choose your mental healthcare provider and your choice of mental healthcare team under the NHS. This means that you can choose an alternative provider to carry out your ADHD assessment, if the waiting list is too long. If there is no local provision in your area, then your local NHS has an obligation to fund the service elsewhere for you, by way of an Individual Funding Request.
Going Private
Many people feel that getting an assessment via the NHS, even with the Right to Choose scheme, is a very long and stressful process, and many are tempted to just go private and pay for an assessment. However, this may not be the simple, stress free solution that it appears to be on the face of it.
Bizarrely, NHS GPs in the UK, are not obliged to accept a private diagnosis, even with written evidence. So this means that even after paying for a private assessment, if your GP refuses to accept the diagnosis and take over your care plan, you won't be able to get your medication prescribed through the NHS, and you will need to continue paying the private doctor for your prescriptions (which are not cheap). That doesn't mean to say that all GPs will refuse to provide an ongoing care plan based on your private diagnosis, but it is essential that you discuss it with them before parting with your cash.