ADHD was previously seen as a childhood developmental disorder, which meant that adult mental health services have not been set up to support ADHD patients who become too old for child services. The sparse literature on transition in general suggests patchy provision and huge gaps in transitional care, but also that young people with ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders fare particularly badly. Transition in health care coincides with many other important life transitions while the difficulties associated with ADHD may make these challenges particularly hard to cope with.
This talk will cover the results of the NIHR Funded CATCh-uS study, which was an interactive mixed method study that aimed to address the following questions:
o how many young people (with ADHD) are in need of services as an adult
o what services are available for young adults with ADHD
o how ADHD stakeholders experience transition from child to adult services