How I Got My ADHD Diagnosis and How Much It Cost! Going Private to Get Diagnosed.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Hi there! My name is Emily, I'm 30 years old and I received a late-diagnosis of Inattentive ADD in August of 2022. I'm based in the UK.
In this video, I share with you how I got diagnosed with ADHD via the private healthcare providers Clinical Partners, whose services are available online and remotely. I talk about going through the titration period to work out what kind of medication will work for me as treatment for my ADD (it's an ongoing process!).
I also share how much my diagnosis and medication has cost me, honestly sharing the price and providing some transparency in this space! I am aware that I am very privileged to be able to afford private healthcare.
I am currently taking 18mg Concerta XL for treatment of my symptoms. This is a long-release stimulant medication designed to alleviate the symptoms of ADHD by improving focus and motivation. It is sometimes known as Ritalin (mainly in the US), and is a type of methylphenidate, and is similar to Adderall. Follow my vlog on my page to find out how I'm getting on with it!
Thank you for taking the time to watch my videos - be sure to say "hi" in the comments! I'm always up for making new, neurodivegent friends!
As another British recently diagnosed ADHD brain in the same position, I can say that I have paid virtually the same amount so far and am on my second month of titration for some comparison. Thank you for documenting your journey; the more information that’s out there, the better 😊
Hey James :)
Phew - that makes me feel reassured that I didn't get totally scammed!
How is your titration going?
@@adhdemily hey! Yeah ok, I went up from 30mg to 50mg a couple of weeks ago, and so far so good. I’ve had a couple of anxiety/panic attacks, but other than that, no side effects so hopefully the next fortnight will be stable and I can move my care over to the NHS and stop paying through the nose for meds!
This is super helpful, thank you! :)
Thank you for sharing ❤
Just had my first consultation with a psychiatrist using the Bupa Select insurance and awaiting the request for funding to go through testing. Thank you for giving us a walkthrough of what to expect as this type of information is so hard to find sometimes. I definitely now know i cant afford to use a private psychiatrist to deal with medication, ill just have to hope the NHS will accept his recommendation to pursue that type of treatment plan but my hope is they will as they have tried all of the SSRI's and other medication to treat the constant anxiety we feel trying to conform to neurotypical world. Again, thank you, i wish i could give you more tham 1 thumb for videos so informative. Please keep them coming i an enjoying the journey also.
Hi there Scott,
Thank you for taking the time to comment and saying such nice things! I'm glad you found the video helpful :)
Hopefully you have success with your diagnosis journey - if you have any questions or suggestions, please do let me know as I would love to keep sharing relevant content!
Good luck; we're all rooting for you!
Sounds very similar to my experience in Canada. Except my family doctor initially referred me to a much slower and much more expensive private clinic. I found another less expensive clinic that a friend of a friend has found.
I feel very similar to you in that I figured the sooner I could get this underway, the sooner I could excel in life and work and would be worth the money to do it.
Thank you, really helpful x😊
No worries Annabanaz9049, so glad it was a helpful video :)
It's crazy how much the cost of a private diagnosis can differ from country to country. In Germany, we have a similar problem with ADHD diagnoses in adults, with really long waiting lists for public health insurance. For my private diagnosis, I paid 215€, which is about £180, and each follow-up appointment was around £85. For the medication itself (I take 36mg Concerta), I pay 53€, with an additional 5€ fee because ADHD medications are heavily regulated, resulting in higher administration costs for pharmacies. These relatively low costs made it possible for me to get a private diagnosis despite being a student with little disposable income. Once you have a diagnosis and a treatment plan, you can immediately switch to a public doctor who can treat you for "free." However, I'm still waiting for the appointment because most psychiatrists have so many patients that the earliest available slots are usually after 2-3 months.
Im trying to do it via the nhs but been waiting a year, did the right to choose option last week but I am now doing it privately through my work. I feel like it’s going to finally be over whoo!
Hi there Christopher,
I'm so glad you're feeling optimistic about the future - have you had your assessment yet? I hope it's going well for you! :)
Em x
This is an amazing video I appreciate this. Would love to know how things are for you and maybe work challenges.
Heya :) thanks for your kind comment - I'm glad it's been helpful for you. I am planning on making a work-related video at some point soon so check back in a few months!
695 quid?! That's about $850 US which is still a deal. In the US many insurance doesn't event cover ADHD diagnosis. You can easy pay between $4000-$6000. I got a deal, out of pocket, where I paid $425 for the initial screening and the impending test is $2,200.
It still feels a high amount for a UK person. We're used to our taxes paying for healthcare through the NHS, US people are used to having huge healthcare costs, people in the UK and Europe aren't.
Damn £400 for a months worth of ritalin is insane. Here in Norway it costs about £30 per the same 30 pills. The diagnosis in my case done privately is £1300, where 700 for initial diagnosis and then another 600 for a 4 hour supervised drug trial.
Only just found your channel I also went private but was told I had adhd aswell as possible autism so I waited on the NHS and got my autism diagnosis.i tried adhd meds but i experienced a manic episode and psychosis on them.I got discharged from my nhs adhd team due to forgetting to attend appointments also they had to ring me every week to see how things were going and I hate phone calls so I struggled with that so now I'm on the waiting list to go back either the same team just to access the meds they should have got right in the first place so I'm thinking of looking privately into meds but I have my diagnosis so it's confusing I'm also dyspraxic
Hi there Dustybinman :)
Thank you for your comment and for sharing your story.
It's such a shame that the process of getting diagnosed requires so much executive function and sustained social interaction - something that many neuro-diverse people struggle with. It's ironic.
I hope that you have more successful this time in getting treatment for your ADHD; we're all rooting for you!
This happened to my friend. Turns out they were misdiagnosed and are actually bipolar. The ADHD med stimulants made them go into manic episodes
Sorry that this is a bit late, but are you able to provide some more context on the differential questionnaire that you had to fill in about ADHD and Autism. I’m just curious what kind of questions it had on it?
0:55 dear Emily in my country adhd diagnosis is only avalaible via private means, because in my country there is no suvh a thing as support for adults wit adhd add asd, so the thing you could done it on insurance just blows my mind
the treatment couldnt be more unavalaible i guess, i spend a TONS of money for my diagnosis xd (4 meetings) I honestly dont know anyone who could really afford it if they are not a doctor or lawayer or something like that
I got really lucky there
They're literally ripping y'all off WTF !
The NHS is not free, it costs the taxpayer a fortune.
Sick of these replies, do your really think anyone thinks it's totally "free", of course we all know it's from tax money, we don't think it's magic fairy dust paying for it. It's "free at the point of use", that's what people mean, if you understand that, then you'll understand what people really mean when they say it's "free".