- Long Waiting Times Drive ADHD Patients to Self-Medicate with Cannabis
- Increasing Demand for ADHD Treatment Leads to Private and Self-Medication Options
- Cannabis Offers Relief for ADHD Patients Facing Years of NHS Appointment Delays
The chief executive of the charity ADHD UK stated that patients can wait up to five years for an appointment, even though cannabis alleviates some symptoms.
A charity asserts that lack of access to ADHD treatment and support from the NHS drives people to self-medicate with illicit cannabis.
People are choosing “private” options or self-medicating “because when you’re deprived of good choices by the NHS, you make bad choices,” Henry Shelford, the CEO of ADHD UK, stated.
Mr. Shelford, who has the neurological disorder himself, stated, “Formal medication options are years away… and you must survive until then.”
“The goal is meant to be 18 weeks! It is absurd that individuals have been waiting for years.”
The lengthy appointment wait times, which can sometimes exceed five years, are caused in part by the steep increase in referrals.
The ADHD Foundation reports that the number of adults seeking a diagnosis has increased by 400% since 2020.
Principal symptoms include persistent difficulties maintaining focus, hyperactivity, and impulse control.
ADHD UK reports that 2,6 million persons in the UK have been diagnosed with ADHD.
Due to maltreatment and misdiagnosis by medical professionals, an additional two million people are believed to be living with the condition without a diagnosis.
At age 29, Kris Witham was diagnosed with ADHD.
Following his diagnosis, he attempted four conventional treatments: Ritalin, Elvanse, Melatonin, and talk therapy.
None were as effective as he had anticipated.
“life-altering” effects of cannabis use
Kris had been unknowingly self-medicating for approximately fifteen years before his diagnosis.
He had been consuming cannabis secretly since he was 15, and it was “life-altering.”
Kris, 30 and diagnosed, uses medical cannabis to alleviate his “debilitating” symptoms.
He carries cannabis with him at all times, along with a doctor’s note.
Specialist physicians were given the legal option to prescribe cannabis-based medications in 2018 if they believed their patients would benefit.
Three times a day, Kris uses a vaporizer to vaporize custom-tailored filaments of Canadian cannabis flower.
“Cannabis has always carried a stigma. I was indeed breaking the law, but morally and medically, I wasn’t doing anything illegal,” he said.
“I would use cannabis to clean my residence and complete my homework. It stopped me from shrieking in class, helped me sit still, and aided my sleep, concentration, and relaxation.
“I never could do that before.”
Filling a void in the NHS
Jon Robson, the founder of MaMedica, which supplies Kris with medicinal cannabis, told that businesses like his are “filling a gap” that the NHS is unable to fill – a “last resort” for those who are desperate for relief.
“What we’ve observed is an increase in demand from patients with psychiatric disorders, who report that the medication we’re prescribing helps them wean off traditional medications – which can sometimes cause side effects,” he explained.
“[Cannabis] is aiding them in living a more normal life.”
A government official said, “We value prompt ADHD diagnoses and are committed to enhancing treatment and assistance.
The NHS Long Term Plan allocates an additional £2.3 billion per year by March 2024 for the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England, so that an additional two million individuals can receive the necessary NHS-funded mental health support.
Expert clinicians can prescribe cannabis-based medical medicines, although Class B of the Misuse of Drugs Act governs cannabis.
