Diagnosed with ADHD in UK, moving to Canada

[Anonymous]

Hi there,

I’m British and about to move to Canada next month and have ADHD. I was wondering whether I would need to be re-diagnosed with a psychiatrist or whether I letter signed by my psychiatrist in the UK and a copy of my methylphenidate prescription would be enough for a doctor to continue to prescribe the meds in Canada?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

You should bring whatever documentation you can with you to Canada.

British medical practice is at the same level as Canada. You should have no problem

getting your medication filled. If you have a doctor in mind (GP) then just call the office.

Yes, some GP’s are better than others. Some are not very enlightened in terms of ADD/ADHD

I think also it is important to have a psychiatrist that can follow you over. That is problematic

in Canada which has socialized medicine (similar to UK) and access is an issue.

I would do some research and find a psych who manages Adult ADD patients

Psych’s are best when you need to fine tune your meds. if yo have never had a proper assessment

in the UK then it might be a good idea to do one in Canada

Unfortunately Canada is similar to NHS in terms of long wait times for specialists.

Also it may be a hard time finding a GP in Quebec or parts of Ontario (including Toronto)

What I do when I move to a new area is call the charge nurse in ER at a community hospital.

Explain to them I am new to the area ..with your British accent that will work in your favour

Other place is to go to the after-hours clinics and ask the staff

If you need more specific information post back

Good luck.

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

Thank Robert for the info. I’m moving to Montreal so I hope the waiting times aren’t too long there for specialists. I was actually referred to a psychiatrist without specialism in diagnosing ADHD, he diagnosed me with it and then said no further action was required Anyway this led me to go see a private psychiatrist in the UK with specialism in ADHD so my experience on the NHS with regards with ADHD is not good at all.

Are private psychiatrists very expensive to see in Canada?

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

“Are private psychiatrists very expensive to see in Canada? “

I don’t think you can find a licensed private psychiatrist.

That is a good question!! Will do a little research

There is no real private care system in Canada. The only

exceptions are in specialty areas (e.g., cosmetic surgery, laser treatment, etc.)

The Canada Health Act puts some severe constraints on private healthcare.

A viable private care system is in fact what is needed to deal with

many service gaps in the public system

The Canadian situation is the same as NHS. Quebec is poor for GP access

Mental health resources are stretched. You will have to wait unless

you have someone to refer you (or a list of names)

Montreal is one of my favourite cities and I think you will enjoy living there.

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

I just spoke to my psychiatrist here in the UK and supposedly she can send the ritalin out to me (3 months worth at a time) as long as it has my name on the prescription. Yep I love Montreal too, seriously can’t wait to move there!

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

Welcome to Canada ..sort of .

Do you know where you are moving to … what area of Montreal etc … you might want to use the Net and search for doctors in

the new area that are taking patients. We did that when we moved to BC Canada, made things easier.

Every province in Canada has private practice psychiatrists .. they tend to be in major cities .. like Vancouver, Toronto, London, etc.

Each province has some sort of Healthcare that incorporates some forms of mental healthcare .. what kinds varies with

the province … again use the internet.

As an example, a pair of solid ADHD, private practice, psychiatrists have offices in Barrie and Stratford in Ontario .. the size and location of those towns, should suggest that Montreal will have at least one or two.

If you can find a doctor in PQ, and once you have emailed and found out if you can become a patient, it should be

fairly simple to send your psychiatrists’ information to the prospective doctor and find out if you can get your meds filled

or if there are problems … the only issue I found in parts of Montreal and the rest Canada is that healthcare has deteriorated

and services are strained to say the least.

I prefer the west coast … but then I am not a fan of winter, so Victoria suits us … there are shrinks private and public and

coaches and all of it is available here .. internet search in Montreal, adhd groups, doctors, clinics would be best bet.

good luck .. i miss York, a lovely place for a pint and a bowl.

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

mrpineappleman

Are private psychiatrists very expensive to see in Canada?

There are no private fee for service psychiatrists (private health care system)

In Canada there are private practice psychiatrists who work in the provincial

public health system. To see a psychiatrist you need a referral from a GP.

REPORT ABUSE

[Author]

Posts