Often people wonder what 'awareness months' are even for. And to some extent so do I.
October was ADHD awareness month and this may have passed you by, but I can assure you it hasn't for 200,000+ people (including myself) who rely on Elvanse (an ADHD mediation) to get through the day.Due to supply chain issues and increasing diagnoses, the NHS has not been able to access the medication nearly a 1/4 of a million people desperately need.
This is causing huge panic among the patients who are being told to ration their medication until the issue is sorted. But here's the kicker, the NHS don't know when it will be sorted.
But I have found a strange disparity between the anxiety in those who need the meds and those trying to source them. The NHS seem to think it's 'no big deal' and that 'taking regular breaks is recommended', essentially I read that as 'your medication is not that important'.
Let's not forget adults could only be diagnosed with ADHD in the UK from 2008. Before then all of these symptoms would have been misdiagnosed as other mental health conditions and wrongly medicated. This is one of the leading reasons why it seems so much more common to know someone with ADHD or to hear about it more often.
We seem to always have to fight for validity, that our condition is real and our medication helps, even against the NHS.I have been lucky over the past couple of weeks to be able to get my opinions out to millions of readers of both The Times and Dazed discussing the panic so many people in Britain are feeling at not being able to access their medication.
Unfortunately, but predictably The Times article got a tonne of negative comments, ranging from 'ADHD is a big pharma cash cow', ' Maybe give them placebos and see if any of them notice' or the 'best' one 'which they would just get on with their lives'.
Now can you just imagine if this was any other condition and there was no medication available? There would be an outpouring of empathy and compassion, but not for ADHD.
So let me tell those who think it's not real a few stats that might make you think again.
These are the hard facts, ADHD alone won't kill you if untreated but the knock-on effects might dramatically ruin your life.
Hopefully, this piece has shed some light on the daily struggles we face. To be heard, understood and access to our medication.
It seems we need ADHD awareness month more than ever.
Thanks as always.
Jamie