My name is Kelly and I live with my Partner & puppy in Kent & work as an EA in London.

All of my life I knew I was different and struggled.

I heard the same thing over and over again from my school, my jobs, my family and my friends…..You could be great if you applied yourself more, are you paying attention? You are too much. You talk so fast. All over the place. You go out and drink too much. You don’t ever come out or have fun? Stop spending money and do more things at home. Why are you a hermit?

I was diagnosed with anxiety, my doctors explored bipolar disorder as to my family I was either spontaneous full of life and wouldn’t stop talking and then the next day completely overwhelmed and unable to leave the house. Since I was a teenager I believed and was medically told this was anxiety. After years of different medications that didn’t work and therapy I was SO lost in life – suicidal thoughts became a regular companion in my day to day and I was making terrible decisions with no path to a better place. A friend mentioned ADHD to me and I immediately dismissed it, I had zero knowledge and after a few more years I decided to do some research.

Fast forward to August of 2023 when I was diagnosed with combined ADHD and also told I was Autistic at the age of 33. I cried tears of joy at first, wow I finally know what has been making me feel like this! Then I was sad. Sad at the the quality of life I have had not knowing and internally punishing myself for so many years. Then came the anger and the frustration – Why was this never picked up? By my school my doctors or even people that knew me. To know you have spent 33 years feeling mentally so alone and misunderstood is a hard pill to swallow.

Through my journey I cannot believe what we have to go through. For my diagnosis I was fortunate enough to have private healthcare through my work but others have waited YEARS to even get to the first step.

EVERYTHING needs to change and improve. Recognising behaviours in school. Doctors considering a neurodivergent diagnosis as opposed to anxiety. The medication is so regulated that we went months with none at all. You would finally get a prescription and a few weeks later be told the shortage means we don’t have any – sorry. And like that you have to withdraw and wow everything feels 10 x worse when you’ve had the mental break from the symptoms. NHS right to choose sounds great but it seems to be as per the GPS discretion. I currently pay £150 a month privately for my medication. My GP and many others I called said they will not take on a “shared care” and take my prescription. I have to go on the NHS waiting list to be diagnosed…again. Which will take years. Resources are being wasted and not utilised and we suffer for it.

So after a few months of feeling angry and shocked at the blockers we face, I started researching and trying to understand how these things were happening. I came across ADHD UK on linkedin and I knew this was how I could help.

ADHD is not a superpower – It is HARD to live with. Yes in some ways I am learning to accept the parts of me that are neurodivergent. But undiagnosed ADHD or a pending diagnosis waiting years….For some that can be anxiety, depression and even a death sentence. Everyone should be entitled to a timely diagnosis and medication for a condition and for ADHD this is far from the case.

In this role I strive to be an ambassador for not just myself but for every person who is affected by ADHD. A parent trying to get a diagnosis. A partner trying to understand their spouse. A person that is diagnosed and has no next steps.
I want to highlight the importance of understanding and accommodating neurodiversity in education, the NHS, the workplace and so much more. – And to better increase the availability and quality of support.