Adult ADHD Advice

Dara93 wrote: »

Anyone know how long Dr Bourke's waiting list is? Or know of any other psychiatrists around?

I have a diagnosis from a while ago but never looked at medication. Now that I am there doesn't seem to be many options.

alanzo27 wrote: »

Hi all.

I've found this thread recently and have been reading through all of the posts. I will introduce myself here. Some may recognise me from my posts in the Anxiety/Depression thread that I visit occasionally.

I suspect that I may have ADHD and/or High Functioning Autism. I have been researching this for the past year and I can relate to what many others here have discussed, especially with the hyperfocus and tracking of time.

I have always struggled with coping with life in general, and at the age of 27 I have never successfully been employed. I have attended various PLC courses and attempted Third Level since finishing school since then, but I have never been able to plan ahead and I have always lacked confidence. The only thing that is questioning ADHD for me is that I was always well behaved in school and in childhood I don't think there was concrete evidence to suspect having it. I had no friends in school and I never understood why. The only social interaction I had was during lunch when I would stand with a certain group, but even then I never spoke or engaged in conversation.

When I was 17 I went for an MRI scan to rule out any physical health issues as at this time I had a breakdown and was concerned about myself. I was referred to a Psychologist/Psychiatrist (can't remember which) and I was diagnosed with Migraine. I suffered from many headaches as a teenager and was prescribed Amitriptyline. I realised at this moment that I always struggled to explain my situation and relied on my mother to complete sentences/speak for me. I always found it easier to describe what my thoughts are through a written format.

When I turned 18 I completed a FETAC Level 5 course in Multimedia Studies. I did very well despite it being a poor experience due to the teaching standard. I then progressed to a Level 8 Degree in Creative Digital Media. I dropped out after one year, and during that time I had attended the Campus Counselling Services. The first few months of the year had been dreadful as I had been in an accident and was hospitalised for a week. I also suffered major panic attacks and was constantly on edge. At this stage I was so low that I was referred to Mental Health Services. I could not leave the house, and was assigned a Home Care Team for some time.

A few months passed and after several consultations I was diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Clinical Depression and Avoidant Personality Disorder. At the time I accepted this but I believe that these are issues that are exasperated due to underlying causes. I was now prescribed with Lexapro but as that did not suit me was switched over to Sertraline.

I completed another FETAC Level 5 in 2013 and did well. In 2015 I attended a Jobs Expo and heard about the National Learning Network. I attended there from 2015 - 2017 and excelled in my studies except for Maths, but still managed to get a Merit in that subject. Another FETAC (now QQI) Level 5 Major Award behind me. I am terrible at motivating myself and I surprised myself this time. After this I was unwell again and had been referred to the MHS for a second time. I raised my concerns at this stage but both my GP and Psychiatrist brushed me off and put it down to Anxiety. My medication dosage was increased.

In 2018 I managed to get a position in a Tech Apprenticeship and was sponsored by a large company. I lasted a year before dropping out and that brings me to the present. I am now participating in a TÚS programme and I cannot see myself lasting there either. I have weaned off my medication slowly since August of last year as I was sick of the side effects and I never felt any benefit from taking it. I am now completely off medication and have noticed no change so I know that the medication was not helping.

One more note before I finish. I have always been clumsy and struggled with coordination, so much so that I struggle with basic tasks. It's like I have to 'work out' what I am doing all the time, and any distraction will completely throw me off. I find it extremely difficult to follow instructions aurally. I also believe that I may have sensory issues. I cannot stand bright lights or loud sounds, and I hate crowds or being the center of attention. As an infant I was also misdiagnosed as being deaf.

I have been saving to see someone private and I want to gather as much information about my past history and write a report before I make an appointment so that I have shown that I am serious about it. I am terrible at communication so at least this way I can review my report once written to ensure I haven't missed anything. From observing my father over the years and his behaviour I suspect he may have ADHD/HFA but was never diagnosed as there was no knowledge or recognition back in the day.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far. I know it is a huge amount of information but I want to get to the bottom of this. I hope this post is within guidelines. Also if anyone has a suggestion of who is best to contact that may be able to help me on my journey I would greatly appreciate it.

P.S. This took an hour to write. There is much more I could have written but I tried to keep this concise.

Feu wrote:

Adult ADHD Assessment:

• Seek a referral to HSE Community Adult Mental Health Team through GP [Public – wait list indefinite]

Clinical Psychology – Thorough Assessment – No medication prescribed
• Arduna Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre (01) 833 2733 http://www.arduna.ie/adhd-assessments.html Initial €100, €895 (+ €500 if cognitive needed) [2-3 months waiting list]
• http://www.adultandchildtherapy.ie/contact-us/ ~€950 [1-2 months waiting list]
• https://www.theinsightcentre.ie/price-list/ €1000 [1-2 months waiting list]

Psychiatry – Assessment & medication can be prescribed
• Bergin Psychological Services (psychology & Psychiatry) 01-670 5016. Wicklow Street, Dublin Two appointments ~€360 total (may be additional for BP/ECG). [1 month waiting list]
• Dr Saleem Tareen, Belfast, 00442895 212294: £300, £300, £100 [total £700] 00442895 212294 [GP referral only] [1-2 months waiting list]
• Dr Saleem Tareen, Belfast, 00442895 212294: Combined ADHD & Autism Assessment: £1500 [GP referral only] [1-2 months waiting list]
• Dr Stephanie Bourke – Blackrock Clinic 2-3 appointments ~€500 [1 year waiting list]
• Saint John of God Hospital Out Patient Services, Stillorgan, Co Dublin Tel: 01 2771400

Feu wrote: »

you should check out your college services, some are very good, and offer occupational therapy (NUIG, UCC, CIT, TCD, DCU, DIT, UCD). ADD can be associated with daydreaming

Feu wrote:

Originally Posted by Feu

A psychiatrist may diagnose you in the one visit, depending who it is. This is a relatively painless process () just asking questions about your history and behaviour. Again it is worth having a think about this before you go along (although attending unprepared could be seen as symptomatic in itself ]), like what are the functional difficulties you are having, what impacts your day to day life. While many adults will not have "documentation" from when they were at school, it is actually worth bringing along a school report or something if you have one, they are often illuminating! Frequent comments along the lines of "X won't stay in their seat" or "X daydreams through class" can speak to history of these difficulties. If a clinical psychologist does the diagnosing, you will still need to see a psychiatrist or GP before medication is prescribed. Liz i think you said you were going to a psychiatrist, but if being diagnosed by a clinical psychologist, this can take up to 3-4 visits depending on the psychologist. You shouldn't have too many appointments if being diagnosed by a psychiatrist, but there will be follow up if medication is commenced.

If you have not already had your appointment, it is worth thinking ahead of time about whether you want to try medication or not, and discussing any concerns re: medication with the psychiatrist when you meet them. There's lots of research out there on the efficacy, side effects, long term outcomes of medication, mostly on children (i.e. started when kids, followed through to their late 20s/30's). Laurence Greenhill is one of the experts on this, he actually spoke here a couple of years ago, and he really knows his stuff: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18573923.
This is also a nice article on the European situation for adult treatment, although 6 years old: https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral....471-244X-10-67 That article states that stimulant medication is effective for about 70% of people with ADHD.

Most people say that stimulant medication is very effective in increasing focus, and decreasing distractability. Therefore doing what they want it to do. Some people express side effects such as reduced appetite (and when prescribed to children and adults they will monitor their weight), weight loss, nausea, sleep difficulties, and one of the reasons some people dislike it is a feeling of "not myself", which could be described as being less emotional, feeling "robotic", or even devoid of emotion. There is lots about this online, obviously. Cost really varies, I've seen from €65 a month to over €100, so definitely shop around.

There are lots of behavioural and environmental modifications that you can make apart from or in conjunction with medication. I have a lot to say about this, depending on the difficulties you are having, so maybe I'll hold off unless people are interested
In a nutshell, routine routine routine! Routine will help prevent/improve some of the functional difficulties associated with add/adhd e.g. losing things as mentioned by numerous posters above. I think it was also Cannex that mentioned having a little chest of drawers for like bills and things like that, that can so easily be lost or misplaced, and leaves people with ADHD tearing their hair out. Having a set place for things, and then developing the habit of always putting things there, can really work over time. Some people i work with have a literal checklist for when they come in the door, and for when they are leaving the house, to reduce stress and anxiety.

I think as well for people with a recent diagnosis of ADD/ADHD, considering seeing a counsellor, with experience/knowledge of the difficulties associated with ADHD would be beneficial. There is a high incidence of other difficulties correlated with ADD/ADHD particularly depression, anxiety, substance abuse and sleep disturbances. Some people are interested in ADHD coaches which is more of a thing in america

You could also consider seeing a life coach or OT on a regular basis, who may focus on the more practical side of things then therapy, like helping you set and achieve goals to reach a particular milestone in your life


Disclosing to your workplace can be a really good idea depending on the setting. Sometimes employers can be really supportive, and really open to modifying your role etc, and sometimes it is hard for them to understand the condition. Their attitude can depend on how much "this will affect the business", i.e. if it is quite easy to move you to a slightly different role, that's handy. Having a good idea of how things could be improved for you is helpful when thinking about having this discussion i.e. if i could change x and y, I will be able to work mostly independently, that kind of thing.

MrMiata wrote: »

Hello all,

I'm a little frustrated..

I suspect I have ADHD (as do all my immediate family members).

I went down to my GP about it, he said something along the lines of 'I never heard of someone having ADHD but not being hyper, it's a key part of it'.

I mentioned about pursuing a diagnosis, he said how I could probably get on a public waiting list and go from there.
I told him I've private health insurance and he said 'okay I'll have a look at some psychologists, and get back to you.. I don't want to just send you to anyone..' so I gave him my number and he got back to me a few days later.

He suggested the psychotherapist who's set up shop in the clinic.

I'm going to be brutally honest - I think ADHD has been the major contributing factor that's lead to most of my issues, the majority of which pertain to school and college.

I'm worried about how I'm doing at college, I'm passing but as always I can not bring myself to study despite my best efforts.
I want to get it sorted, I want to know if I have it or not, and if I do what I can do now to fix it.

I'm all for therapy but to be honest, I want a more immediate solution to my attention.. I'll talk about it on top of that but I don't want to chit chat from now till May and then be told - 'might have ADHD, make an appointment with Dr....' when my exams are the following week.

There is no quick fix, but there are quicker fixes than numerous therapy sessions.
I get on with my GP, I really respect him but I think he's used to little Johnny bouncing around the office while his mother trys to explain he's having trouble at school.. not a 22 year old college student who's seemingly doing fine.

Feu wrote: »

Hi everyone

i've spent a bit of time ringing around, and here's where we're at. I've included the autism bit and where combined are available, that i know of. And waiting list, where they've told me. I've just included Dublin, as i've not had time to ring around further than that, and i know that Dublin may be a good option regardless of where you are in the country

Any Questions give me a shout


Adult ADHD Assessment:

• Seek a referral to HSE Community Adult Mental Health Team through GP [Public – wait list indefinite]

Clinical Psychology – Thorough Assessment – No medication prescribed
• Arduna Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre (01) 833 2733 http://www.arduna.ie/adhd-assessments.html Initial €100, €895 (+ €500 if cognitive needed) [2-3 months waiting list]
• http://www.adultandchildtherapy.ie/contact-us/ ~€950 [1-2 months waiting list]
• https://www.theinsightcentre.ie/price-list/ €1000 [1-2 months waiting list]

Psychiatry – Assessment & medication can be prescribed
• Bergin Psychological Services (psychology & Psychiatry) 01-670 5016. Wicklow Street, Dublin Two appointments ~€360 total (may be additional for BP/ECG). [1 month waiting list]
• Dr Saleem Tareen, Belfast, 00442895 212294: £300, £300, £100 [total £700] 00442895 212294 [GP referral only] [1-2 months waiting list]
• Dr Saleem Tareen, Belfast, 00442895 212294: Combined ADHD & Autism Assessment: £1500 [GP referral only] [1-2 months waiting list]
• Dr Stephanie Bourke – Blackrock Clinic 2-3 appointments ~€500 [1 year waiting list]
• Saint John of God Hospital Out Patient Services, Stillorgan, Co Dublin Tel: 01 2771400


Adult ASD Assessment:

• Seek a referral to HSE Community Adult Mental Health Team through GP [Public – wait list indefinite]


• Bergin Psychological Services (Psychology & Psychiatry) 01-670 5016. Wicklow Street, Dublin Two appointments ~€360 total [1 month waiting list]
• Dr. Eimer Philbin Bowman: Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. T: +353 (01) 668-1108 (Mon/Tue) Diagnostic assessment for adults ONLY not previously diagnosed: [2-3 months waiting list]
• http://www.adultandchildtherapy.ie/contact-us/ Clinical Psychology ~€1500 [1-2 months waiting list]
• Dr Saleem Tareen, Belfast, 00442895 212294: £1200 [1-2 months waiting list]
• Dr Saleem Tareen, Belfast, 00442895 212294: Combined ADHD & Autism Assessment: £1500 [GP referral only] [1-2 months waiting list]
• Arduna Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre (01) 833 2733 http://www.arduna.ie/adhd-assessments.html Initial €100, then €1100 [2-3 months waiting list]
• https://www.theinsightcentre.ie/price-list/ €950 [1-2 months waiting list]

PTH2009 wrote: »

Not having much joy in the public mental health service of getting a proper diagnosis. All that is happening is getting appointments every few weeks and be told take these and you be ok (I won't take medication)

Im 30 now and just want a plain answer what I suffer from and then i can take it from there etc

Private may be the only way of going about it. Anyone knw about this and what tests/costs etc

Monkey.Tennis wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I've had a read through this thread and it's been very helpful. Basically, I was hoping to get some advice - bear with me as this might be a bit long!

I'm in my late 20s and in college at the moment. This is my third attempt at college; I've never lasted this long in a course before so that's definitely a positive, but I'm really struggling at the moment. I don't have any issue with the intellectual side of the subjects I do - I can grasp the material just fine, but I really, really struggle when it comes to managing my time, focusing for concerted periods of time, and in general managing the workload. It's only now that I've actually managed to stick college out for a while that I've realised that this has always been my issue. Even when I was in school, I always felt like I had the potential to do so much, and to do really well in exams (I didn't do badly in school per se, but I definitely got lower results in exams etc. than I felt I was capable of). I always just assumed that I was lazy and unmotivated, despite actually being motivated in the sense that I had things I wanted to achieve that I felt were 100% within my capabilities, and really did try my best to do them.

Now that I've been in college again for a couple of years, I've started to realise that my issues in education aren't for want of trying or lack of ability. As I've said, I don't struggle with the intellectual side of things, it's the preparation and execution that get me. I can spend all my time planning stuff meticulously, but I just can't follow a timetable or a study/work plan. I'm finding that I cannot balance my job with college. My job is very flexible in that I can work from home, and to a degree at my own pace - without going into too much detail, I basically get a bunch of work to do when they need me to do it, and have to have it back by a certain date. I find that the two main issues I have around balancing college work and work work are that I cannot do both things at once - one takes precedence to the other's detriment - and I also cannot manage my time at all. For example, if there's any extra work going, I'll happily take on what I think will take maybe five hours to do, but it could end up taking me 20+ hours. Similarly, with assignments and exams, I try to allocate time for certain tasks, but a reading that I think will take me 30 mins to do will be more like four hours.

At the start of this academic year in particular, I was struggling a lot. My inability to manage time and follow through on timetables and study plans meant that I was working 40+ hour weeks as well as being in college and dealing with assignments and lectures, and I just couldn't manage. Luckily, my job is somewhat flexible, so although I missed quite a lot of deadlines for returning the work, they were relatively okay with it, thank god. At this time, two separate people - a friend and my partner - both said to me in the same week that they were concerned that I may have ADHD. I'll admit, I didn't know a whole lot about it - when they said it to me, I had that stereotypical idea of a restless, excited child in mind, but when I looked up the symptoms of it in adults and read people's experiences, I literally cried because I identified with it so much. Now, that's obviously not to say that I have it or am self-diagnosing in any way, just that people's experiences really resonated with me.

I suppose this is where the advice bit comes in - I've been under a mental health team for about ten years now, for unrelated issues. Because of this, I see an OT in college who has been very helpful, in that checking in every couple of weeks gives me the opportunity to reflect on what works and what doesn't work for me (although 99 times out of 100 it's more what doesn't work). We've created study plans together, timetables, lots of practical things like that, but absolutely none of it sticks despite my best efforts. I have brought up my issues with focusing etc. to the psychiatrists in my outpatient clinic numerous times, but it constantly seems to be brushed aside. It doesn't help that I have to see a different doctor every time I go there (I've literally seen my consultant twice in six years). This is a recurring issue - if I mention anything outside of what I have been previously diagnosed with, it is brushed to the side and never really mentioned again. To be quite honest, I'm not even entirely sure what my current diagnoses are - different doctors and psychologists from the same team say different things, and some of them are never mentioned again, so there's certainly an issue with continuity of care there. While I really want to bring this issue up yet again, I don't feel like pushing it because they don't seem to react well to things like that.

I'm not entirely sure pursuing a private assessment would be beneficial after reading a lot of the replies here. I was actually in a private hospital a few years ago which helped me quite a lot, but was discharged back to the local clinic, and it didn't seem to go down well with them - I was immediately taken off all of the medication they had put me on in the hospital and told that they had treated me incorrectly there. I was considering going to my GP (who is an excellent, compassionate doctor) and explaining the situation to him as when I repeated the LC a few years ago I approached him with the same concerns, and asking him to write a letter to my psychiatrist in the hope that he might listen to another professional. Does this seem like a good idea? I'm not entirely sure what else to do, so any advice would be appreciated. I'm not hell-bent on getting a diagnosis or anything; if a professional genuinely thinks that I don't have it and need to find other ways to manage, then that's fine and I'll do that, but I just want to at least rule it out - I don't want it to be a thing where it might be something that I do have, and I'm not getting the necessary helpful treatment.

Sorry for the long post, and thanks for reading if you've managed to get this far! Any advice would be really appreciated.

alanzo27 wrote: »

Hi All.

I would like to update you on my current situation.

I had an extremely difficult time in September, and experienced a "breakdown". I had referred myself to A&E as I did not feel well. I have never done this before and it was one of the most traumatic experiences I have encountered. Thankfully I am "stable" at the moment. I am currently on a third trial of SSRI's. I feel that I haven't gained any benefit from taking them. I am struggling immensely with sleep currently and while I was prescribed Melatonin and Phenergan after being discharged from the hospital in September, it was short term.

I am currently studying Computer Systems and Networks Level 6. It is my third attempt. I am doing well so far, however I am becoming overwhelmed but I am doing as best as I can. I am availing of support and the college is aware of my situation.

I have completed a cognitive assessment and a social and relational development interview in terms of the ASD assessment. The last stage of the assessment is a parental interview with some personal input which is taking place soon.

During the assessments and interviews my psychologist was also looking for signs of my other concerns during these assessments and interviews. Once the final interview has taken place a report will be completed within three weeks. I should have results next month.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. I read many other posts on here but I may not respond to them.