What people told us
Behind every waiting-time figure is a person. These are experiences people shared publicly about seeking an ADHD or autism assessment in Scotland, read alongside our verified Freedom of Information data.
How to read this. The figures on this page come from our Freedom of Information requests to Scotland's health boards, see the full, verified data. The comments are separate: individuals' own accounts, shared publicly, then anonymised and paraphrased. They are a self-selected snapshot, not a statistic, and are not verified by us. They are here to show what the data means in real life.
When we asked all 14 Scottish health boards for their ADHD and autism waiting times, hundreds of people replied with their own stories. Read next to the official figures, they show what those numbers mean day to day. See our full FOI data and tracker →
The data, and the voices behind it
Each board's verified FOI figure, beside what people living it told us. Boards still to respond are marked “awaiting FOI data”.
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
Our FOI data
What people told us
NHS Ayrshire & Arran
Our FOI data
What people told us
NHS Forth Valley
Our FOI data
What people told us
NHS Fife
Our FOI data
What people told us
NHS Lothian
Our FOI data
What people told us
NHS Grampian
Our FOI data
What people told us
NHS Highland
Our FOI data
What people told us
NHS Tayside
Our FOI data
What people told us
NHS Lanarkshire
Our FOI data
What people told us
NHS Borders
Our FOI data
What people told us
NHS Dumfries & Galloway
Our FOI data
What people told us
NHS Western Isles
Our FOI data
What people told us
NHS Orkney
Our FOI data
What people told us
No public accounts from Orkney yet. If you've been through the system there, get in touch.
NHS Shetland
Our FOI data
What people told us
No public accounts from Shetland yet. If you've been through the system there, get in touch.
That's all 14 Scottish health boards. See the full FOI tracker for the underlying figures and the original response documents.
Themes that came up again and again
The same experiences recurred across every board. These are individuals' own accounts, not verified by us.
Refused before you even start
Many people never reach a waiting list at all, because their GP won't make the referral.
The shared-care trap
People go private to be seen, then find their GP won't take on the prescribing, leaving them paying indefinitely.
Assessed, then still waiting
A diagnosis often isn't the end. The wait for medication or support can stretch on, as a clinician who joined the discussion pointed out.
Children are waiting too
It isn't only adults. Children wait years, and some age out of the service before they are ever seen.
Falling between ADHD and autism
People with both conditions can be turned away from one assessment because they already have the other.
Share your experience
Navigating ADHD or autism assessment in Scotland? Your story helps others feel less alone, and strengthens the case for change. We publish anonymously.
Tell us your storyThe figures on this page are drawn from our Freedom of Information requests to Scottish health boards (see the full data). The comments were posted publicly and have been anonymised and paraphrased; names and identifying details are removed. They are a self-selected sample, are not representative or statistical, and are not verified by us. ADHD Scot is an independent, non-clinical information project. This page shares lived experience alongside our verified data and is not a substitute for clinical advice.