Dr. Baljit Upadhyay

Surprisingly cathartic!

Relatively simple to set up, good communication from The ADHD Centre in the run up. My assessment was conducted via Zoom by Dr Baljit Upadhya, and while I was worried in the run up she put me at ease and was genuinely lovely to talk to – I found the process incredibly cathartic! I would recommend.

Excellent ADHD Clinic

From initial assessment, through follow-ups, and titration, I can’t recommend the ADHD centre highly enough. I worked with Dr. Upadhyay from day one and found her to be kind, friendly and an excellent clinician. She guided me through the process step by step, explaining everything very clearly and thoroughly and always mindful of my input. The approach is holistic, with other complementary therapies and services on offer, such as CBT and ADHD coaching. Admin staff are friendly and efficient, and overall I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.

Outstanding level of care

I am incredibly grateful to the ADHD Centre and Dr Upadhyay for giving me the answers I needed, with excellent patient care and professionalism at every step along the way.

For the longest time it never occurred to me all my “character flaws” might be anything other than that. When I learnt that the subtype of “inattentive” ADHD existed, not only did I fit the criteria, I ticked every box. I still doubted myself for a while; maybe I was just trying to blame all my flaws on something I couldn’t control. I eventually decided to go to my GP, as my symptoms were becoming a bigger and bigger problem with my relationships and with my ability to parent my toddler.

Asking my previous GP was a horrible experience; she didn’t hide her scepticism very well at all, and though she reluctantly agreed to a referral, she also pushed me to have blood tests to check for multiple temporary causes, despite my explanation these symptoms had dogged me all my life. It took me six months before I realised I hadn’t heard anything, and contacted my GP surgery to chase up; the referral had never been sent. I was so upset that I had waited half a year only to have been waiting for nothing. I eventually received confirmation that I was on the waitlist for my area… that was now at least 3 years long. That was in 2021. I have never heard anything more from them since.

Last year I finally hit a wall. My husband and I decided we would look into private options because waiting in limbo for an answer that didn’t seem to be coming no longer felt like an option. We were unsure at first as we’ve never used private healthcare before, but when we opened up the booking page and realised I could be seen so soon, our decision was made.

My experience with the ADHD Centre and Dr Upadhyay has been night and day to my failed NHS attempt. I booked an appointment and immediately received a point of contact and communication for what was expected of me. I went into the diagnosis appointment extremely anxious and I rambled at Dr Upadhyay desperately, but before we were even half way through I felt more at ease than I had with any medical professional before. I had never felt so listened to. When I burst into tears of relief upon receiving my diagnosis, her words in that moment have stuck with me. No one had ever suggested my difficulties might be anything other than self-inflicted, school destroying my self-esteem with constant reports of “doesn’t try hard enough” “so much wasted potential” “lazy and doesn’t pay attention” etc, dropping grades and failing to get into uni and fraying relationships, feeling like a failure at basic every day life etc. To be told directly it wasn’t my fault, that I have a condition that makes my brain function in a different way, was such a validating and healing experience.

There seems to be an overwhelming public opinion that private providers are taking advantage of patients by capitalising on the long NHS wait times, over-diagnosing and over-prescribing for the sake of profit, but I can say this has been the furthest thing from my experience as possible. Under ADHD Centre’s care, I have felt fully supported and never felt pressured on which course of action to take or pushed to have more appointments than necessary. Every decision has been made together, with the specifics of my personal health taken into account at every step. Getting my diagnosis was already a blessing for my mental health, but medication has been life changing for me. I am calmer, far more capable, improving my organisation skills, making healthier choices in my personal life and with my physical health, and just generally far happier than before. All the ADHD “strategies” I had been trying for the last 4 years I can actually action successfully. It’s not a cure, but it’s the closest thing to “normal” I’ve felt.

If you believe you have ADHD and have struggled with the overwhelmed NHS services and can afford private, I wholeheartedly recommend the ADHD Centre.

In 2022 my husband started to suspect he had ADHD and wanted to have this confirmed as the symptoms were affecting his ability to function in daily life. After struggling to get an ADHD assessment on the NHS, we decided to arrange this privately and we’re very grateful to have found the ADHD Centre.

The booking process is painless and can be done online – no need to call in, which can be stressful if you have ADHD and don’t have anyone to support you in this process. You can read up about the team of psychiatrists available and choose one that you feel would be a good match. Appointments are via zoom and there is a range of times you can book, including early mornings, evenings and weekends, which is very flexible.

Our experience with Dr Upadhya was fantastic. We knew what documentation to fill out beforehand and the session itself was run in a very calm way. I was able to join my husband for support and Dr Upadhya was incredibly patient with him, listened and explained every step of the process. As we thought, my husband had very high ADHD symptoms (combination type) and Dr Upadhya explained what medical tests/checks we needed to do in order to confirm he was able to get onto medication.

Once we had the results of the tests, we were given an appointment within a few days to start the titration process. The medication he was prescribed has had a marked improvement and he has now settled on the dose that works for him. From diagnosis to completing the titration has taken 3 months, which were as painless as possible in this situation. We are now in the process of arranging a Shared Care Agreement with the GP, which the ADHD Centre initiates. Of course it is not all about medication and Dr Upadhya has given us guidance on other methods of managing my husband’s condition, such as a good routine, sleeping pattern and therapy, which we are looking into now.

We are very happy with the service we received at the ADHD Centre. Everyone is very kind and supportive, they respond to emails promptly and all of this made our experience incredibly positive. While going private is not the cheapest route, for us it was worth every penny to get my husband feeling more stable and happy. We would highly recommend the ADHD Centre for anyone who is looking for help with a diagnosis or treatment – you will certainly be in safe hands here.