There is a huge problem in the UK with access to assessment and support across the whole spectrum of neurodevelopmental conditions. The waiting lists for NHS clinics are years long and only getting longer. It is no wonder, then, that people end up turning to the private and charity sectors to step into the gaps. Others simply decide not to seek diagnosis at all but just trust their own intuition and the guidance they have found on the Internet.
For many, the barriers to accessing diagnosis and support are simply larger than their capacity to overcome them. When this happens, of course, it is the most vulnerable who tend to fall by the wayside and never reach the help that is offered to those who can jump through all the hoops. When we are dealing with people who have self-diagnosed or paid for a private diagnosis, we need to remember that they haven’t chosen this route because it is the easy one. All too often it is the only realistic route available to them.
Our understanding of neurodiversity has changed massively in the last decade. With our growth in knowledge has come a realisation that many of these conditions have been underdiagnosed since their inception. People are coming forward in droves, not because it is trendy, but because they have recognised that diagnosis would make a real difference to them. Or, more precisely, that the understanding and validation that comes from a diagnosis would make a real difference.
There is already huge and unjustified stigma against private and self-diagnosis. Appallingly, this prejudice is often used to deny people access to the support they need because they have the wrong sort of diagnosis. Remember, these barriers tend to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable and needy. Such barriers need to be removed.
Sadly, the BBC has chosen to ignore all of this and, instead, make the situation worse with their Panorama investigation into ADHD diagnosis by private clinics. They could have used this investigation to highlight the urgent need for more access to high-quality diagnosis and services. They could have talked about the patient experience and what needs to change in approaches to treatment and support. There are so many ways that they could have highlighted things that could make a real difference.
Instead, they portrayed a queue-jumping gold-plated NHS assessment which was done openly in front of the cameras against the (secretly filmed) assessments from three private providers who were chosen because they were already aware of complaints about these particular outfits. This is cherry-picking of the highest order. Instead of breaking down barriers and increasing access to support, they have reinforced the stigma against private diagnosis. They have erected barriers to support not just for those diagnosed with ADHD but for everyone with a private diagnosis for their condition.
You are supposed to be a public-service broadcaster, BBC. One way that you can better serve the public is not to broadcast stuff that makes it harder for us. Your programme could have been so much better if only you had consulted people with real lived experience.