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I was diagnosed late last year with ADHD at the age of 31 (female). Due to the wait list I had to go privately as the symptoms had significantly worsened and were beginning to seriously effect my work and home life.
It cost £900 for the initial consultation. Then follow up appointments being £250. What wasn't made clear to me was the ongoing cost of the medication and appointments, although I was able to save for the initial consultation I realised very quickly that I wasn't going to be able to afford to continue treatment as it worked out to an average of £300+ monthly, which I do not have. I felt mislead.
I am now on the waiting list to get medication through the public route and have been for many months, I was on it for 1 month previously (privately) and the drastic change was noticed by everyone in my life, it was like half of me had been asleep for my whole life and then to realise that finances meant I now was going to lose it again was devastating.
I am currently unmedicated and do the best I can to manage it through aggressive levels of exercise. Which isn't overly effective with the level of symptoms I have.
Since diagnosis I have realised how ADHD touches every part of my life and how it truly is a disability, I cannot focus for more than 2 minutes on a task and no level of trying changes it but on the medication, I was able to focus as needed. It effects my eating habits, sleeping, productivity at work, social relationships, the state of my home, my ability to talk to others and I am constantly in a state of feeling overwhelmed.
I truly hope the waiting list is able to be brought down to a more reasonable number, as the vast majority of those I know on the list are women who were missed or told as children that females couldn't have ADHD and we have silently struggled for years thinking it was a personal failure on our parts when in reality we needed help/support.