Adults waiting more than 10 months for ADHD diagnosis in Jersey

WATCH: ITV Channel's Alex Spiceley asks Jersey's Director of Adult Mental Health what the service is doing to improve waiting times for ADHD assessments.

Adults in Jersey are waiting more than 10 months for an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessment.

Statistics from the end of February 2023 show that 396 adults are currently waiting an average of 306 days to get a diagnosis.

Andy Weir, Director of Adult Mental Health and Adult Social Care, says he is looking at ways to improve waiting times for adult ADHD assessments in Jersey.

He says: "We very much recognise that there is a significant waiting list for this service, due to both a significant increase in demand and a limited capacity within the service.

"Unfortunately this increase in demand and associated waiting list is consistent with other places, such as the UK, which means that lots of other services are also seeking to obtain additional capacity and personnel with specialist skills in this area.

"I have recently been leading a piece of work with the services looking at how we can develop an improvement trajectory in this area, which is currently being finalised."

Meanwhile, waiting times for an ADHD diagnosis in Guernsey are much lower at four months, according to statistics from January 2023.

More clinicians in Guernsey are having training in ADHD assessments, so there is hope that the island's waiting list will reduce in the future.

ADHD explained

What is ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.

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What causes ADHD?

The exact cause is unknown, but it can run in families.

Research has found a number of possible differences in the brains of people with ADHD when compared with those without the condition.

Other factors could include:

  • being born prematurely (before the 37th week of pregnancy)

  • having a low birthweight

  • smoking or alcohol or drug abuse during pregnancy

ADHD can occur in people of any intellectual ability, although experts say it's more common in people with learning difficulties.

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