A NURSE consultant from Culcheth says more need to be done to dispel the myths surrounding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Jen Lewis-Neill, who is an ADHD specialist, set up a clinic to help both diagnose and treat the condition after getting frustrated at the size of NHS waiting lists for ADHD diagnosis.

The 36-year-old has established ADHD360, along with fellow nurse consultant, Lisa Mangle and Dr Phil Anderton, which prides itself on offering affordable clinics wherever they are needed, including in Warrington.

Jen said: "NHS waiting lists are just disastrous really and some people in this country don't have the services at all.

"We noticed that there was just so many people not getting a service and really struggling and being placed in inappropriate services.

"Having worked in the NHS for a long time it upsets me to know we may not see a patient in a clinic for more than two years after they were referred.

"I now see patients within four weeks, guaranteed."

Jen stressed that people need to be educated about the way the condition disrupts people's lives.

She explained: "ADHD is constant so it's all the time from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed.

"It's not episodes, it's chronic and a lot of people get so frustrated about why they cannot do things.

"One of the problems we see in women and girls especially is low self-esteem and anxiety because they tend to be less hyper than boys so they get missed.

"What we see now is woman who have been put on anti-depressants but when we step back and look at the issues, it is often untreated ADHD.

Jen works as a specialist in both paediatric and adult ADHD, has created two of the largest and most successful NHS ADHD services in the north west.

She works alongside Lisa Mangle, who was instrumental in supporting one of the first UK adult services, and Phil Anderton who specialises in designing and running services and models of care.

Jen explained: "We thought, we need to be doing something that gives a really good service and people don't have to wait.

"We are just trying to make an affordable service- we want to be accessible to everyone.

"The beauty of ADHD is that it is very easy to treat.

"The more we can educate people and dispel some myths the better – it's not naughty boys, it's a neurodevelopmental condition."

Some of the symptoms of ADHD include:

  • Not being able to sit still
  • Easily bored or distracted
  • Appearance of poor memory
  • Not being organised
  • Impatience
  • Difficulty in completing tasks
  • Insomnia
  • Emotional outburst
  • Prone to losing items
  • Difficulty regulating emotions
  • Impulsive behaviour

More information about ADHD can be found on their

website

.