being refused

shannon_164

i had an appointment with youth workers (specifically from education authority) a few months ago and they suggested adhd specifically however requested that i was referred for an educational needs psychology assessment - it was sort of a relief in a way because autism and adhd is something i’ve thought about a lot as i can relate to so many of the symptoms and i have had counsellors in the past suggest autism, it never went any further though. the youth worker then wrote a letter to my gp about this which i was really glad about and he just basically said no but in the end actually referred me to cmht and ofc they have refused the referral based on a handful of appointments i had with them where i did not display any signs of adhd they state however i know myself that i actually did, and the way i ‘got on’ in those appointments was exactly how i did with the youth workers that day too. their whole letter was full of lies to be fair though:/ but im really not sure what to do anymore as i just want support so badly for how im feeling in general right now but i always just seem to be an issue.

everyone gets so frustrated at me for not being ‘normal’ and i dont know how to cope with being different. i know i haven’t been diagnosed with adhd / autism but i relate to a LOT of the symptoms and it has been suggested be professionals so there is a possibility. i don’t know what to do next, who to talk to or where to contact. i looked at advocacy in northern ireland but the only places i can find are inspire who closed their advocacy service in september 2024 and mindwise who only offer support in the south eastern trust area and its accessible through cmht referral only, not that i would even get a referral but i dont even live in south eastern trust area. i’m just so lost in this world.

Sian321

Hey @shannon_164 , how are you doing today?

You mentioned that you have noticed for a long while now that you relate to many of the traits of ADHD and autism, and that multiple professionals have told you that you might be neurodiverse in these ways.

I can imagine it was extreamly frustrating to feel this dismissed so quickly during your cmht appointments, and it sounds really hard to feel stuck now and to not know where to go next. You are the world expert in yourself - you know your lived-experience better than anyone, and it sounds like you're really noticing something about yourself that deserves to be heard and taken seriously. Did cmht give any explanations around why this decision was reached, or whether they could be any next-steps?

It sounds like you've already put a lot of work into finding some further options like advocacy too. Have you heard about these organisation before?

https://addni.org/
https://autismni.org/

I wonder if they'd be able to support you further, or to help you link up more local resources?

Keep us posted, @shannon_164

shannon_164

hey @Sian321 - sorry for taking a few days to reply, the past week hasn’t been great:/

with cmht, it wasn’t even discussed at all with them - they never asked why i think this or what others had said such as youth workers etc which frustrates me a lot as surely they cannot refuse a referral based of a handful of appointments that weren’t even focussed on autism / adhd…? i was told by the wellbeing officer to contact advice ni who said they can’t help so i really don’t know what to do anymore:( they never gave any next steps or anything, they just said in the letter i didn’t display any traits (it’s also factual info that girls tend to mask things a lot more too so surely that should be taken into consideration?) so they will not be accepting the referral. their letter also had many other lies in it too i’m so so annoyed.

i have also had a look at their websites too but the forms and stuff to fill in are overwhelming and confusing and im just really not sure - i guess i’ll be stuck in the unknown forever.

thank you for replying sian🩷