Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are demanding urgent action over a lack of funded services in Northern Ireland, with some revealing they pay thousands of pounds a year for private treatment. Northern Ireland doesn't have a formally commissioned, publicly funded adult ADHD pathway like in other parts of the UK. One woman has described the situation as "wildly unfair and inhumane", saying she and her husband spend about £4,000 a year on private treatment and care.
The Department of Health acknowledges increasing demand but said decisions must be taken in the context of overall affordability. Rebecca Bryson owns three businesses, which helps to cover the cost of her ADHD, external treatment and follow up care. Her husband, Colum Coyle, also has ADHD, and both pay for regular private psychiatric reviews, prescriptions and medication.
Their combined costs of staying on treatment are about £4,000 a year. "It's a tonne of money that most people don't have, and I'm in a position where we do have it because I work multiple jobs," she said. She said the situation felt "wildly unfair and kind of inhumane".
"If I had another medical condition like cancer or a broken bone, and I asked for medical treatment, they wouldn't turn me away." Bryson said there needed to be a clear route to diagnosis for adults with ADHD in Northern Ireland. "You can get a diagnosis as a child, but once you turn 18, you're on your own. It's bananas." Northern Ireland: Remains without a formally-commissioned ADHD service.
Trusts manage referrals within existing resources, leading to long waiting lists. England: A legal right to choose exists in areas within England. If a local wait is long, a GP can refer a patient to another NHS-approved provider.
Scotland: There is no single commissioned service for ADHD, as local statutory partners have responsibility for planning, designing and delivering services to meet the neurodevelopmental support needs locally, including services commissioned from the third sector where appropriate. Wales: ADHD services are commissioned locally by health boards. The Welsh government is working through its Neurodiverse Improvement Programme to increase capacity, improve assessment pathways and reduce long waiting lists.
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