Member of Scottish Parliament Daniel Johnson is a husband, father, and former business owner. Mr. Johnson was diagnosed with ADHD almost 6 years ago after his wife brought the subject up. He discusses how those with inattentive type that have flown under the radar for years begin to almost hit a crisis point once the structures of being at home and in school are no longer there. As we get older, we begin our careers and start families with all of that comes stress which brings the symptoms more to the forefront. Our forgetfulness, being so called ‘lazy’, disorganization, among the many other symptoms. We talk about his route to diagnosis both with his experience with his private GP and now in the NHS system. This leads to discussion of the lack of resources and the barriers to treatment especially in the more northern sections of Scotland. Daniel is an advocate for medication as a first step alongside the skills for managing, he has a statement he references often “pills and skills” when discussing the need for combination treatments for ADHD. Some of the other topics we cover are the disparities in gender, lack of education on ADHD for teachers and physicians for identifying/working with ADHD, need for mental health screening in prisons, and the stigma around medication.
Full Show Notes Available On My Website: https://www.excusemyadhd.com/episode-5/
Article in learning disabilities today: https://www.learningdisabilitytoday.co.uk/2019/adhd-diagnosis-and-medication-gives-msp-daniel-johnson-a-new-lease-of-life
Link to MSP Daniel Johnson’s speech to Parliament June 5 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFEYC3IiKOE
Full debate Portrayal of ADHD Treatment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThwVBMnqfbs