"I think people at the severe end of ADHD are the ones who should be prioritised; they're the people who are most likely to benefit, and where benefits are more likely to outweigh risks.
... What we're not hearing about is psychological advanced therapies, for example, or environmental strategies that people could implement."
#SamMcBride, 2024
Are they funded in the public system, and as easy to access as medication?
(1/3)
No, genuinely curious. But I certainly wasn't offered anything but meds after my diagnosis, by either the disguising psychiatrist or my GP. So if there are funded services out there, they certainly need to be better integrated into the overall care system. As well as protected from the claws and teeth of the NatACTs and their healthcare corporatisation agenda.
AFAIK this dopey requirement was dropped a while back. Due to the obvious fact that neurodivergent people don't magically become neurotypical after getting a diagnosis by a psychiatrist.
> they are looking at private for psychologist, counsellor or ADHD coach
Pretty much what I've observed too, with my ADHD whānau across the motu. Funnily enough it's always services that get cut by austerity, not drugs. Wonder why ...
The school in the case I know of was particularly slack, but it's pretty telling that the dean and group teacher had no idea what was available for newly diagnosed kids, but at the same time the youth mental.health services were clear that although a psychologist's support was necessary all they could offer was meds and the rest had to come through education
And in #GoodNews ...
"GPs and specialist nurses will soon be able to diagnose and prescribe medication for ADHD."
#RNZ #CheckPoint, 2025
Halle-f'n-lujah! About time. The simplest way to confirm ADHD is to try the meds. Neurotypicals will report totally different experiences.
#HatTip to Chlöe Swarbrick who has been chopping away at this for years now, including within a cross-party working group on mental health, that she helped to set up.
(2/3)
Clearly they've been listening to ADHD specialists, who will tell you concerns about meds leading to addiction have it exactly backwards. If people with undiagnosed and untreated ADHD try illicit stimulants like meth and cocaine, and feel more functional than ever before in their life, they're going to be pretty motivated to self-medicate from dodgy sources.
As McBride mentions in the RNZ interview,
"I work in addiction service. [ADHD is] highly represented within addiction services."
(3/3)
This is a bonfire demo instance for testing purposes
