ADHD: Private clinics exposed by BBC undercover investigation

Frankly the BBC have been really irresponsible here- this is potentially going to hurt a lot of people with ADHD who have a private diagnosis, either due to self-doubt or due to others dismissing their struggles as 'not a REAL diagnosis'.

There's a good ongoing thread on Twitter about this, written by a neuroscientist who has some serious concerns about the situation: twitter.com/.../1658113052691124226

This sort of 'sting operation' is essentially fraudulent, the reporter is acting in bad faith. People who go out of their way to get assessed for any neurodivergence are almost always badly affected by their traits, that is why they are seeking confirmation or clarification. For any clinician, this would be taken as an understood precondition. However, prescribing drugs without a full investigation of the general health of the patient is indefensible.

I would like to know the details of how the 'NHS' assessment was set up. Of the reporter, the article says that, "...he didn't tell the private clinics the real reason he'd booked the appointment." This suggests that the NHS clinician was informed about the nature of the sting, which the photograph of the reporter and the NHS clinician would tend to support, in which case the clinicians were not working on a even 'playing field'. It all looks rather sleazy.

This is actually true, if you self refer to (and pay money for) these services you are already giving the assessors the tacit message that you feel this is something you are struggling with enough to warrant a diagnosis and if they "take your word for it" rather than fob you off then that's just them being good doctors and listening to you.

The real headline here should be:

Man lies to doctors and doctors (who aren't lie detectors) believe him.

It's called selection bias. Unless they are a reporter with an agenda, the average neurotypical person would not pay over £1k for an assessment ... the folks who seek private assessments have probably already taken some screening tests and researched the subject.  Maybe one or two are trying to get medication, but I am sure there are easier and cheaper ways to get controlled drugs. Most people use these services because the NHS service is almost non-existent, and they are desperate for help. The BBC would have done better to expose the shambolic state of the NHS ... but that is not news. As far as kids are concerned, I was part of a working party that looked at NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in NE London in the 1980s, and even then they were in a mess. Anyone who has worked in children's services knows that parents have to fight to get their kids assessed, and the waiting list can be years. 

It's called selection bias. Unless they are a reporter with an agenda, the average neurotypical person would not pay over £1k for an assessment ... the folks who seek private assessments have probably already taken some screening tests and researched the subject.  Maybe one or two are trying to get medication, but I am sure there are easier and cheaper ways to get controlled drugs. Most people use these services because the NHS service is almost non-existent, and they are desperate for help. The BBC would have done better to expose the shambolic state of the NHS ... but that is not news. As far as kids are concerned, I was part of a working party that looked at NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in NE London in the 1980s, and even then they were in a mess. Anyone who has worked in children's services knows that parents have to fight to get their kids assessed, and the waiting list can be years.