9. How will this information change my practice?

Transcript

So if I have a take home message from this resource, the first thing would be to just please get rid of any stereotypical thinking you have about ADHD. It is not just the naughty boys, it can affect any one of us, women, men, any social background, it’s still there and it is a real problem and effects people in very real ways. Remember that it encompasses inattention as well as hyperactivity, so your day dreamers and also I think the biggest thing I would say if someone comes to you either thinking they’ve got ADHD or thinking their child has ADHD please take them seriously. People don’t come to that appointment without doing a lot of soul searching, a lot of research beforehand and you see it time and time again on support forums, people are petrified of going to their GP, many people have gone to their GP only to be told it’s not real or you can’t possibly have it or its fashionable thing now, you know, you’re looking for excuses and that negativity and that reinforcement of stereotypes doesn’t help, so the best thing you can do is just say its fine, I understand we can get you screened and get you referred and that will make a huge difference to people and like we said earlier it can be a difference in just making their life easier and alleviating the anxiety and depression symptoms that go along side it or it can be on the other end of the spectrum, stopping someone losing their job and their house and going to prison, so your understanding of ADHD is really important.