"Somerset Adult ADHD Services..."

... oh, wait. There aren't any.

I was 40 when my ADHD was finally diagnosed. I had been trying to tell people for years that this was a problem, but no-one would listen. GPs and psychiatrists would patronisingly say that my problem with inattention was caused by my depression. They refused to listen to me or screen me for the condition.

After battling to see a psychopharmacologist in a different region, he recognised it clearly and diagnosed me with ADHD. Stimulant medication has made a huge difference to my life. He was willing to prescribe it to help with the ADHD, but he also recognised it as a monotherapy for my unipolar depression.

Unfortunately, my GP and local mental health services feel differently. My GP won't prescribe the (controlled) drug, and local mental health services think I'm just drug seeking. 

I have tried probably tried somewhere between 12 and 15 antidepressants. The stimulant medication is the only thing that works for the ADHD, and the only drug I can tolerate as an antidepressant. 

The psychopharmacologist's manager told me to get me referred back to their clinic. My initial referral was rejected - they said it was because my GP had only reference my ADHD, and they are not a specialist ADHD service. I got my GP to refer me back again, mentioning my treatment-resistant depression. They then refused to see me, saying I needed to seek help from my local mental health team as being out the area, they were concerned about my safety. This is utter rubbish, as using their service would not preclude me being able to access local mental health services in a crisis. That local mental health services are beyond useless (I called them and said that I was suicidal, and they hung up on me...) is also not helpful. It took over two months of being messed around by the psychopharmacologist's team to be told a firm "no". 

Now I have no access to the only medication that works for me. I cannot work and I am bordering on bankrupt. My depression is out of control, and no-one will actually help me. 

In one conversation with the local home treatment team, I asked about local adult ADHD services, and the person I spoke with said something along the lines of -we're trying to figure out how best to help adults with ADHD... 

It may come too late to help me, but I really hope they figure it out sooner rather than later.