Lack of access to ADHD treatment and support from the NHS is driving people to self-medicate using illegal cannabis, a charity has claimed.
People are opting for “private” options or self-medicating “because when you’re deprived by the NHS of good choices, you make bad choices,” Henry Shelford, chief executive of ADHD UK said.
Mr Shelford – who has the neurological condition himself – said: “The options of formal medication are years away … and you need to survive in that time.
“It’s supposed to be a target of 18 weeks! It is laughable – people are waiting years.”
The lengthy appointment waits – sometimes up to five years – are in part due to the sharp rise in referrals.
The ADHD Foundation report a 400% increase in the number of adults seeking a diagnosis since 2020.
Main symptoms include persistent difficulties with maintaining attention, hyperactivity and managing impulses.
According to ADHD UK, 2.6 million people in the UK have diagnosed ADHD.
An additional two million people are thought to be living with the condition – without a diagnosis – due to mistreatment and misdiagnosis by medical professionals.
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Image: Kris Witham was diagnosed with ADHD at age 29
Kris Witham was diagnosed with ADHD as a 29-year-old.
Upon diagnosis, he tried four traditional treatment methods – Ritalin, Elvanse, Melatonin and talking therapy.
None proved to be as effective as he hoped.
‘Life-changing’ impact of smoking cannabis
Unwittingly, Kris had been self-medicating for just under 15 years, prior to his diagnosis.
He was smoking cannabis illegally since age 15 – and said the subsequent impact on his condition was “life-changing”.
Now aged 30 and with an official diagnosis, Kris says he regularly consumes medical cannabis to help manage his symptoms, which at times can be “debilitating”.
He always carries his cannabis with him – and keeps a doctor’s note alongside it.
In 2018, specialist doctors were given the option to legally issue prescriptions for cannabis-based medicines – if they thought their patients could benefit from it.
Kris’ prescription includes tailored strands of cannabis flower imported from Canada, which he grinds and heats up in a vaporiser three times a day.
“Cannabis has always been stigmatised. I always thought I was doing something wrong … which I was in terms of the law, but morally and medically, not so much,” he said.
“I’d use cannabis and clean my house … do my schoolwork. It stopped me shouting out in class; it helped me sit still; it helped me sleep, focus and relax.
Jon Robson, founder of medical cannabis business MaMedica which supplies Kris, told Sky News that businesses like his are “plugging a gap” the NHS is failing to provide – a “last resort” for those who are simply desperate for relief.
“What we’ve seen is an increase in demand from patients who suffer from psychiatry conditions, who are feeding back that the medication we’re prescribing is helping them come off traditional medications – which sometimes can cause side effects,” he said.
“[Cannabis] is aiding them in living a more normal life.”
A government spokesperson said: “We know how vital it is to have timely diagnoses for ADHD, and we are committed to improving access to treatment and support following a diagnosis.
“The NHS Long Term Plan commits an additional £2.3bn a year for the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England by March 2024 so that an additional two million people can get the NHS-funded mental health support that they need.
“While specialist clinicians can prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal use, cannabis does remain controlled under Class B of the Misuse of Drugs Act.”
Two motorways have been shut after human remains were found on the road.
Several drivers reported a body on the carriageway between junctions 20 and 21 of the M4 – between Almondsbury and Awkley – at about 6.40pm this evening.
The body is believed to be that of a man in his forties, whose next of kin have been told.
A police investigation to establish how the person came to be on the motorway continues.
Parts of the M4 and M48 motorways near Bristol are likely to remain closed until the early hours of Sunday morning, Avon and Somerset Police said.
In a statement, the force said: “Police are keen to hear from anyone who was travelling along that stretch of the M4 has any relevant information or dashcam footage.”
The road closures were likely to cause significant delays in and out of Wales tonight, with closures starting on the English side of the Prince of Wales Bridge and the Severn Bridge.
Sir Keir Starmer has urged Donald Trump to stand by Ukraine with a security guarantee as he warned a bad peace deal would be a “disaster for everyone”.
The prime minister is due to meet the US president for talks in Washington DC next week amid fragile relations between America and Europe after Mr Trump launched a verbal attack on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The US president called Ukraine’s leader a “dictator” on Wednesday and later said Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, both of whom will visit the White House in the coming days, “haven’t done anything” to end the war.
Image: Sir Keir Starmer met with European leaders in Paris on Monday to discuss Ukraine. Pic: Reuters
Sir Keir said a good peace “can only be won through strength” and Ukraine “must have a voice in negotiations about its future”.
And he warned that a “peace deal which does not stop Putin from attacking again would be a disaster for everyone”.
Writing in The Sun on Sunday, he said Kyiv needs strong security guarantees “so the peace will last” and America “must be part of that guarantee”.
This could mean providing air defence and a promise that the US will come to the aid of a NATO country if Russia attacks them, the paper reported.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey has said “any negotiations about Ukraine cannot happen without Ukraine. We all want the fighting to end, but an insecure peace risks more war”.
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0:33
Will Trump and Starmer have a ‘Love Actually’ moment?
‘Turn the screws’ on Russia
The third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is on Monday.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he will unveil new sanctions to “turn the screws” on Russia on Monday to coincide with the anniversary.
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Sir Keir also said the UK must increase its defence spending and play a bigger role in NATO.
And he is open to British troops playing a role in any European force in Ukraine after a peace agreement.
He added: “This is not something I say lightly.”
Sir Keir, along with other European allies and UK opposition parties, has backed Mr Zelensky as a “democratically elected leader”.
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2:25
Conflicting views over Ukraine deal
Also, Washington has warned that Europe must shoulder more of the cost of its own security.
Sir Keir is expected to use his upcoming trip to the US to confirm a timeline to raise UK defence spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in a bid to ease tensions.
It comes amid pressure from defence chiefs and opposition critics including Tory leader KemiBadenoch, who wrote to the prime minister on Saturday demanding he set out a plan for meeting the target.
:: Education secretary Bridget Phillipson, campaigner for global health and education Sarah Brown, and shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge will be discussing all the latest political stories in the UK and around the world on the Trevor Phillips on Sunday show on Sky News from 8.30am
A three-year-old girl has died after a collision between a tram and a van in Manchester city centre.
The girl was taken to hospital but died from her injuries, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
“No arrests have been made and inquiries are ongoing,” the force said.
The child was a pedestrian and was not travelling in either the tram or van, GMP said.
The fatal collision happened on Mosley Street shortly before 10am, a Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) spokesperson said.
“All of our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time. We are supporting police with their investigation,” a statement said.
A North West Ambulance Service spokesperson said two ambulances, a rapid response vehicle and two air ambulance crews attended the scene.
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TfGM said there was continued disruption across the Metrolink after the incident and advised people to check the Bee Network website and app for the latest travel information.
Manchester‘s Bee Network said: “Due to a road traffic collision on Mosley Street in the city centre, no tram services are operating between St Peter’s Square and Piccadilly Gardens.”
An X post from GMP’s traffic officers said: “Our officers are currently in attendance at a collision, involving a tram and another vehicle in Manchester city centre.
“We are presently trying to establish the circumstances however we envisage there will be a lengthy closure of surrounding streets near to St Peters Square.”