Our service is available for children and young people between the ages of 7-18.

ADHD = Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

The three components are Attention-Deficit, Hyperactivity and Impulsivity.  Having all three is referred to as ‘combined type’; the other two categories are the hyperactivity/impulsivity type and the attention deficit type, which used to be called ADD.

Many people have an image of children with ADHD that may contribute to the problem. The image may be of badly behaving boys bouncing all over the place, ruining the schoolroom for everyone else.  The child is often blamed for not listening, not concentrating, and not following instructions. The parents may be blamed for not exerting enough control – partly because ADHD can be accompanied by challenging behaviour.

ADHD symptoms are often noticed by parents while the child is still pre-school. But most Paediatricians and Child Psychiatrists are reluctant to diagnose this early, and medication is not recommended before the age of six years.  A diagnosis of ADHD requires the observation of ADHD symptoms in school as well as either at home or in the clinic.

Children with ADHD often achieve well below their potential, can be frequently in trouble, and may find it difficult to keep friends, sometimes drifting towards antisocial companions.  Difficulty getting off to sleep is a frequent issue.

Perhaps as a result of all this, children with ADHD can often be very anxious, or even depressed. It is also common for children with ADHD to have other learning or neurodevelopmental issues such as dyspraxia, dyslexia, other specific learning difficulties, or generalised Learning Disability.

Attention-deficit type

This type is often missed – or just dismissed as stupidity or laziness.  It is particularly common in girls, who may just sit at the back of the class day-dreaming, and whose AD(H)D is therefore more likely to be missed than boys’.

The signs to look for in your child are having a shorter attention span than others of the same age, making silly mistakes, forgetting things, or poor organisation. They often appear to be incapable of listening or carrying out instructions. They tend to keep changing from one task to another, and they certainly can’t stick to doing anything that takes much time or that they think is boring. They really can’t change their behaviour.

Hyperactivity/Impulsivity type

Does your child show any of the following?  An inability to sit still; constant fidgeting; being a constant chatterbox; always interrupting; and doing things without thinking.  These features can make children with ADHD pretty unpopular, especially with their teachers, and also sometimes with their fellow children.

It can seem to others as if the child is just being selfish, since they may interrupt conversations, or have difficulty taking turns in games or sports.  They are often prone to accidents, showing little awareness of danger or risk.

Autistic Spectrum Disorders

There is also an association, due probably to linked genes, between ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions such as tics and Autistic Spectrum disorders (ASD).  Sometimes, ASD or Learning Disability may mask ADHD; at other times, ADHD may mask ASD.  Tics may erupt after starting stimulant medication.

Our ADHD service for children and adolescents

Psychiatry-UK offers a specialist diagnostic ADHD service for children and adolescents which fully complies with NICE guidance for the assessment and treatment of ADHD.

One issue that we are well aware of is that there may be varying agreements in place for shared care in different regions in the UK and this can cause major issues if you are unlucky in the postcode lottery but we will work with you to try to sort out any issues with local services and your GPs if your child has a diagnosis of ADHD from us.

The process and costs

The assessment of a child for ADHD is always going to involve input from the child’s school and can take some time to complete.

The first stage is to fill in our children’s ADHD referral form and to pay the initial consultation fee of £700 (If booking online please choose ‘ADHD/ADD in Children‘ from the list of treatments on the booking form). We will then send out rating scales to you and to your child’s school for them to complete before we see you. Once these have all been returned we will contact you to arrange the consultation.

The consultation will last up to 90 minutes. It will initially be with the child and you, the parent or or guardian, and then with the child alone. This is then followed by another brief chat with you to give you feedback on the consultation and the outcome of the ADHD assessment.

It is at this point that the psychiatrist will discuss options for medication with you. The psychiatrist will then write to you and your GP, setting out the diagnosis and the treatment plan that you have agreed.

If you have decided to try medication, the next stage is to go through titration which is the process of working out the right medication and the correct dosage. You will have to provide us with a weekly report on how your child is doing on the medication with measurements of their weight, blood pressure and pulse. If you want you can get your own blood pressure monitor, or we can lend you one.

The fee for the titration is £105 per month, including a prescription each month and, if you use one of our monitors, we ask you for a £50 deposit. We will also charge you £25 for any extra prescription that we send out and you will also have to pay the pharmacy for the medication which can cost anything from £70 to £150, depending on which drug works best for your child.

Titration can take between a month and three months. When we all agree that your child is on the correct medication, we have another online consultation, but only for half an hour, and the psychiatrist will then write to your GP to ask them to take over prescribing as a shared care agreement.

Some GPs are still a bit wary of prescribing stimulants to children and in some areas of the UK there are local guidelines that do not allow them to work with any psychiatrists except those from their local service. We are happy to help in challenging such restrictive and unfair practices when we come across them.

Follow up appointments

After titration, the period in which the psychiatrist works out the correct medication and the correct dose for your child, there will also have to be follow up appointments. Initially they will every three, then, after six months, these will change to every six months.

Communication with the GP

The Psychiatrist will write to your GP with a report of the assessment and treatment. Once the child or young person is stabilised on stimulant medication, then the GP will be asked to continue the prescribing.

With some other medications such as Guanfacine, this will be requested too however it may not be possible for this to be prescribed by the GP.

Recent patient feedback

<< Prev
Next >>
default image

NHS services are so patchy that getting a referral to a Consultant Psychiatrist or skilled therapist to help with psychological, emotional or behavioural problems seems almost impossible.  For that reason, Psychiatry UK has been a lifeline to my family for the last 18 months.

The admin support team is terrific and help has been at hand really fast – including within 24 hours in an emergency situation.  

All the medical professionals we’ve consulted online have been of the highest calibre and supremely skilled and experienced.  This has enabled us to access the right treatment virtually straight away and with the reassurance of ongoing support in the future.

default image

The service provided by psychiatry-uk exceeded my expectations – the support team being on email over a weekend to both reassure me and enable all the necessary bookings to speak to a doctor as soon as possible was superb.  

The depth of knowledge of [  ] was impressive and left me feeling like I could not be in better hands; his ability to be pragmatic, professional and deeply caring is something I have looked for in a medical professional to support me for a long time.

The fact that this service is so flexible, with support available in person, by phone or by Skype is a demonstration of how medical care can meet the needs of us in 21st century with great affect

default image

Psychiatry-UK is an excellent service, it can be very difficult speaking to a psychiatrist on the NHS and the waiting times can often be long, this can be difficult when you’re unwell, so it is brilliant to be able to have an appointment within a matter of days.

Psychiatry-UK is not just quick and simple, the medical professionals also have a great deal of knowledge, experience and expertise and I was impressed how thorough my assessment with [  ] was.

At the end of the assessment I was given a diagnosis and recommendations for treatment, as well as further information for my condition. My letter to my GP also summed up my history perfectly.

My experience with Psychiatry-UK has been very positive and I am looking forward to continuing my treatment with them in the future.

MW

default image

I was highly impressed with [   ] as an expert. She was approachable, very quick to react and excellent with my client. [    ] went out of her way to prepare a report quickly and professionally. The report itself was both measured and of great assistance. I would have no hesitation in recommending her as an expert.

JF

default image

I was pleasantly surprised with the level of support and the follow up communications which has helped me get a better understanding of my condition and the tools in which to conquer it. Dr [-] and his team were understanding and were able to help me understand what is going on during a time I needed it the most.

default image

Dr [ ] is a great doctor, he listened very carefully and understood all my concerns, he also gave a very clear and objective assessment which was very helpful and reassuring.

default image

I came to Dr [-] for a variety of problems that I had been having with extreme irritability, anxiety and depression. These issues were investigated further by this doctor and I was diagnosed with bipolar spectrum disorder. Dr [-] then wrote a detailed report, with treatment recommendations to my GP. With a diagnosis I have been able to have a trial of medication, which is starting to make a significant improvement to my mental health. Highly recommend.

default image

Very clear and concise advice put into real world language, extremely easy to talk to and professional. All in all a fantastic service showing superb professionalism and care. Well done to all the staff involved with my experience especially Dr [-]. I cannot find fault, I wish all health care services were like this.

default image

Psychiatry-UK fills a very important gap in the conventional care model. It provides un-matched access to care in both time as well as convenience/ease of consultation. Simply, they are there when needed during the most crucial days. Getting such care usually means working through the normal NHS route with delays and obstacles that can be overwhelming. All too often this leaves people in a state of desperation far longer than acceptable. When I had my first appointment with Andy it took everything I had, and a lot of persuasion from my wife, to even attend the video consultation.

I am very grateful I did and I greatly appreciate what PSY-UK has done for me. The care, trust, and confidence I have in their service gave me the confidence to take on life as I once did. I believe PSY-UK is not just an emergency stop-gap for those in a crisis but rather a novel treatment pathway that addresses the primary difficulty of seeking help with mental illness. I really can’t say enough about their service. I hope someday soon their forward thinking model of care is one day the standard of care.

default image

I have no hesitation in rating this Consultant as outstanding in every way. He has supported our family through the very serious behavioural and emotional challenges posed by ADHD and undertaken the whole process of consultation, prescribing and reporting in a really empathetic, positive, and constructive way. I cannot speak highly enough of his professionalism and for anyone who has tried to to access NHS ‘service’ (personally, I have never seen evidence of its existence) he is quite simply a breath of fresh air. The best call I ever made.

default image

I have required the help from Dr [ ] as the DVLA required a psychiatric report so that my driving licences/entitlements could be returned to me. An NHS appointment would have taken months.

Dr [ ] received the relevant information one day prior to my assessment. Dr. Davies was empathetic, listened to me and at times had to guide me back to questions that were being asked.

The report into my mental health was received within 48 hours and accurately reflected what I had said. As a result of the assessment decision and accuracy of the report, I am now hoping the DVLA will return my driving licence(s) to me.

I would recommend Dr [ ]as a doctor that can be trusted, through her listening skills, empathy, questioning and all round professionalism.

default image

I was highly impressed with Dr [ ] as an expert. She was approachable, very quick to react and excellent with my client. Dr[ ] went out of her way to prepare a report quickly and professionally. The report itself was both measured and of great assistance. I would have no hesitation in recommending her as an expert.

default image

This doctor instilled confidence in me and my ability to accept and live in spite of my illness as opposed to because of it. He diagnosed me aptly and took note of all the information I gave him.

default image

I can thank enough. Made me feel totally comfortable .listen and I feel at last my life is easier thank you so much.

default image

My G.P referred me to the ADHD clinic at the Maudsley hospital in london. However, I soon realised that the waiting list was 6 months…and I simply could not wait.I found Psychiatry-UK online and decided to pay for a consultation… I am always anxious when it comes to talking to doctors but I found the whole experience with Dr [-] to be very reassuring.

Anon

default image

Absolutely fantastic, Very understanding and stress free service, Dr Alexandros was so understanding and to be honest after only 1 hour on a video conference has given me a diagnosis that I have now done research on and has made absolutely perfect sense, A letter was written to my GP with a diagnosis and medication and treatment recommendations, I have since been to my local GP and finally the help I have needed for years is now getting put into place. A 1 hour consultation has been life changing, a big thanks to Dr Alexandros and all at psychiatry uk.

KH

default image

Everyone at Psychiatry-UK is incredibly helpful and supportive. Their services are of very high quality and the treatment I received has changed my life. I highly recommend this clinic to anyone seeking help.

Lia