Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Darrin Bull: ADHD NZ Spokesperson on GPs being able to prescribe medication

Transcript

Darrin Bull: ADHD NZ Spokesperson on GPs being able to prescribe medication · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

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  Speaker 1: Bryan Bridge in February. GPS and nurse practitioners will be
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  Speaker 1: able to diagnose and treat ADHD, so should say people
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  Speaker 1: hundreds of dollars and clear a backlog of waiting to
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  Speaker 1: see a psychiatrist to get that diagnosis. But the question
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  Speaker 1: is do you run the risk of over diagnosing ADHD.
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  Speaker 1: Darren Bill is the ADHD New Zealand spokesperson with us
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  Speaker 1: this morning. Darren, good morning, good morning, how you doing good?
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  Speaker 1: Thank you? So how long is the backlog? How long
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  Speaker 1: does it take to see a psychiatrist to get your
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  Speaker 1: diagnosis At the moment.
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  Speaker 2: It depends where you live in New Zealand have had
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  Speaker 2: report anywhere for six months in Aukland to eighteen months
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  Speaker 2: in the South Island. But it very much depends where
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  Speaker 2: you live.
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  Speaker 1: And the people going to a psychiatrist saying I think
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  Speaker 1: I've got ADHD? Can you diagnose me?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Sometimes that is the starting of the conversation. Other
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  Speaker 2: times has broader mental health issues or other issues they
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  Speaker 2: want to seek helpful.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think this will mean more people get ADHD medication?
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  Speaker 1: I suppose that it'd be the logical outcome.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, it is the logical outcome. Access for our community
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  Speaker 2: to get the help and the support will mean that
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  Speaker 2: some will get more medication and there'll be a greater
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  Speaker 2: access to medication. But putting in context though, the number
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  Speaker 2: of people who have been diagnosed in New Zealand compared
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  Speaker 2: to OEC standards according to Otaga University last year is
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  Speaker 2: at least half. So we have a massive undiagnosis issue here.
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  Speaker 1: What's what's the percentage of the population overseas that has
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  Speaker 1: ADHD or has been diagnosed with ADHD.
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  Speaker 2: Statistically and I'm rounding, it's you know, four to five
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  Speaker 2: percent and in New Zealand it's around two to two
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  Speaker 2: point two percent of the population.
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  Speaker 1: Okay. And the fact that we've had a tenfold increase
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  Speaker 1: in prescriptions over fifteen odd years, is that because people
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  Speaker 1: weren't diagnosed or have we got a whole bunch of
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  Speaker 1: people who are now suddenly the ADHD. I've got ADHD.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, it's a question of masked most often it is.
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  Speaker 2: The tenfold increase is to be celebrated because it means
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  Speaker 2: people who have ADHD are getting their assistance and care
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  Speaker 2: that they need. In addition, the science around ADHD has
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  Speaker 2: improved remarkably. You know, if you go back, you know,
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  Speaker 2: even fifteen years ago, unheard of that females to get ADHD,
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  Speaker 2: for example, and yet they are exactly they are disposed
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  Speaker 2: or predisposed to ADHD like anybody else in terms of
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  Speaker 2: percentage of population.
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  Speaker 1: What do you say to people who think this is
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  Speaker 1: all a bit of a myth, you know, people who
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  Speaker 1: say I'm a little bit ADHD and then they then
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  Speaker 1: they get it, you know, get it medication, and it's like,
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  Speaker 1: do you do you actually have ADHD? You know, I
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  Speaker 1: don't know.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, ADHD is not as easy as that. It is
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  Speaker 2: a complicated diagnosis, which is why trained medical professionals are
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  Speaker 2: required to do it and not tip time or not
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  Speaker 2: a quick online survey. And it has a lot of
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  Speaker 2: comorbidity such as learning disorders, social anxiety and things like that.
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  Speaker 2: So it's not just a simple diagnosis.
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  Speaker 1: Is it kind of annoying that you have all those
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  Speaker 1: TikTok kids going I've got ADHD and they have no prescription,
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  Speaker 1: no diagnosis, and they're just trying to be true. I
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  Speaker 1: don't know, it's a must trend to be you know,
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  Speaker 1: touch of that.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, if I find TikTok annoying full stop. But
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  Speaker 2: it is really annoying and it is also dangerous because
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  Speaker 2: it creates a trend and overseas highlights research in the
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  Speaker 2: US highlights how dangerous it can be.
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  Speaker 1: Darren, appreciate your time this morning Darren ball ADHD New
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  Speaker 1: Zealand spokespersons for more.
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  Speaker 2: From Early Edition with Ryan Bridge.
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  Speaker 1: Listen live to news Talks it'd be from five am weekdays,
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