FAQs

How can we help?

What is ProblemShared?

ProblemShared was founded to provide improved access to mental health professionals. We offer a hand-picked team of counsellors and psychiatrists to both the general public and to institutional clients, ranging from universities and businesses to public sector bodies such as the NHS. We believe it is a human right to receive high quality and timely access to appropriate healthcare.

How can you help me?

ProblemShared offers affordable access to mental health professionals wherever and whenever you need. We have a broad selection of mental health professionals, many of whom speak a number of languages, ready to talk to you.

It's an emergency, what should I do?

We are not able to offer treatment in severe or life-threatening situations. If you think you are at risk of harm or at risk of harming others, you should look at the resources available on our IN CASE OF EMERGENCY page, call 999 or go immediately to your local Accident and Emergency department.

What conditions do you treat?

You may know exactly what is wrong, but you also may not. You may simply know that you don’t feel great. Mental ill health is complex. Why not book an assessment and speak to one of our experts so they can guide you to the right clinician?

What issues can ProblemShared help me with?

From Anxiety to ADHD, PTSD or Personal Development, the ProblemShared practitioners can help with a range of conditions. Learn more about what we can help with >

How do I choose a ProblemShared talk therapist who is right for me?

You can filter our list of accredited or registered practitioners by gender, specialism, type and price. Take a look through their profiles and biographies. Feel free to send an email to the ones you feel may have the right skillset to help you and have a brief discussion with them in advance of booking a session. They will be more than happy to talk about their approach to therapy and whether this would be appropriate for you.

How do I get the most from my ProblemShared talk therapy sessions?

Choose your therapist carefully – feel free to send an email in advance of booking your initial session to a therapist you think may be right for you, so you can get to know them and discuss a potential way forward.

Remember that your therapist is here to help. If you see therapy as a collaboration, you will improve your likelihood of benefitting from it.

Arrange appointments at times that suit you, when you have an uninterrupted hour and will be in a quiet and private space.

Therapy is a confidential process. You must feel free to speak your mind.

Set goals and markers for change. This will help you chart progress and feel in control of the process.

Do any work set by your therapist outside of your sessions, to maximise the time you have together.

Is online therapy effective?

Yes. There has been a lot of research into this question and although the majority of it comes from the US, it holds true for the UK as well.

The following resources should give you an idea of the efficacy of telemedicine and counselling when compared to more traditional consultation methods:
Internet-based versus face-to-face cognitive-behavioral intervention for depression: A randomized controlled non-inferiority trial. Wagner, B., Horn, A. and Maercker, A. (2019).

Internet-based and other computerized psychological treatments for adult depression: a meta-analysis. – PubMed – NCBI. online Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Bergström, J., Andersson, G., Ljótsson, B., Rück, C., Andréewitch, S., Karlsson, A., Carlbring, P., Andersson, E. and Lindefors, N. (2019).

Internet-versus group-administered cognitive behaviour therapy for panic disorder in a psychiatric setting: a randomised trial. Epstein, R. (2019).

Distance Therapy Comes of Age. Scientific American.

What’s the difference between a psychiatrist, psychologist, a counsellor and a coach?

The nomenclature can be confusing! We’ll try and clarify:

At a high level: psychiatrists are medical doctors and as such can prescribe medication for mental health conditions – such as, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, ADHD or bipolar disorder. If you are working with a psychiatrist, a lot of the treatment may be focused on medication management.

Alongside talking therapies such as psychology or counselling psychologists offer counselling and psychotherapy and perform psychological testing for mental ill-health. They are not medical doctors but have a doctoral degree (PhD, PsyD, or EdD) in psychology, which is the study of the mind and human behaviour. Psychologists cannot write prescriptions or perform medical procedures.

Counsellors are mental health professional who have completed an accredited training which qualifies them to work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change and/or enhance their wellbeing.

A coach focuses on helping people attain their goals in life. They might help you to get motivated, set goals, and hold you to account. Life coaching is not regulated nor offered through our platform at this time.

Will I have the same counsellor or psychiatrist throughout my time with ProblemShared?

As a rule, yes. We believe in continuity of care and will do our level best to ensure you see the same clinician for the duration of your treatment. However, should this for some reason not be possible we will help you find an equally appropriate clinician and minimise disruption. Many of our practitioners offer free or low cost introductory sessions and you can search for them using our search filters. We also hope that our filters help you identify a practitioner who feels like is a good fit for you. If, however, you meet with a practitioner and do not feel that the relationship is working, you can change by looking through our community and booking with a different practitioner. We would encourage you to speak to your practitioner about your concerns first.

What do I need to do to see a mental health practitioner?

1. If you are seeing our university service, please contact them. Explain that you wish to have to have talk therapy. They will issue you with a passcode which you will have to enter in order to book a session.

2. If you are a self-pay client, use our filter to find the practitioner that is most appropriate, and book a session. It really is as easy as that! Should you wish to contact them in advance and discuss any further details, contact them by email using the click-through on their biography.

I have been through my treatment reviews and I am now awaiting a response from my GP on shared care. How is the medication shortage affecting this?

If you are currently in shared care with your G.P. prescribing for you, or your shared care request gets accepted, your G.P. may decide to keep issuing you with prescriptions. However, if the medication you are on is unavailable, your G.P. will not be able to change you to an alternate medication, and your G.P. will need to seek advice from ProblemShared.

Your G.P. will be informed that we will not be holding any reviews to make alterations to medications until the current stock supply issues are resolved.

ProblemShared is aware this decision is likely to be disruptive and distressing for clients. However, ADHD medication is robustly regulated and as a responsible care provider we are currently not prescribing until reliable medication supplies can be achieved.

Can you prescribe medication?

Talk therapy – psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors cannot prescribe medication.

Neurodevelopmental – our specialist ADHD nurse prescribers can prescribe medication specific to ADHD following an assessment with ProblemShared, where appropriate. Your prescription can be dispensed by your local pharmacy.

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Please note that if you are prescribed medication, you may need to pay for it yourself. This will be discussed in further detail during an introductory call with your ProblemShared clinician.

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PLEASE NOTE: There is a global shortage of Lisdexamphetamine (Elvanse), Atomoxetine (Strattera) which is affecting supply. We are in contact with both the manufacturers and wholesale suppliers of these medications to better understand when stock will become available. In the meantime, our prescribing team are in the process of contacting all clients affected.

Which ADHD medications are there currently a shortage of?

Lisdexamfetamine (Elvanse) & Atomoxetine (Strattera).

There is no known end date to the shortage.

How does the ADHD medication shortage affect my treatment?

At your next review appointment, your prescriber will discuss with you alternate non-pharmacological options available to you, and help you think about your ongoing treatment. We are monitoring the supply situation daily, and you will receive regular email communication from us. You will be notified as soon as we are able to start prescribing again, and a new appointment will be arranged. We understand that many of you rely on these medications as a crucial part of your treatment, and that this news is likely to be disruptive and distressing. As you may be aware, ADHD medication is robustly regulated and as a responsible care provider we are currently not prescribing until reliable medication supplies can be achieved. Please be assured that we are doing all we can within this framework to support you in accessing ongoing treatment for your ADHD.

When did the ADHD medication shortage start?

It is common practice for pharmacies to only hold a limited stock of any one type of medication, so we initially had no reason to believe this was to become a broader issue. Supply issues have gradually worsened since mid-August, and now there are severe shortages of multiple dosages of medication.

What is the reason for the shortage?

ADHD pharma companies are currently having challenges with maintaining the required supply of ADHD medication. ADHD services and pharmacies globally are experiencing a significant shortage of all ADHD medications.

The medications with the most impact are:

Lisdexamfetamine (Elvanse) & Atomoxetine (Strattera).

How long does ProblemShared anticipate the ADHD medication shortage lasting?

We have been informed by the producers of Lisdexamfetamine that there will be some supply available by mid-November 2023. However, as the global shortage is continuing with no known end date, we will continue not to prescribe ADHD medications until we can be sure that the supply issue has been resolved and that your treatment will not be affected.

What should I do If I can’t get my child’s ADHD medication?

ProblemShared have made the difficult decision not to prescribe ADHD medications during this time of medication supply uncertainty, for which we have no known end date.

We are monitoring the supply situation daily, and in the meantime, our prescribing team are in the process of contacting all clients affected.

If your child has a review appointment booked with ProblemShared, this appointment will continue, and your prescriber will discuss with you and your child alternate non-pharmacological options available to you and help you think about your child’s ongoing treatment.

We would additionally advise you to keep your child’s school informed as they may also be able to monitor your child’s behaviour and symptoms in school.

Will my ADHD assessment be going ahead, despite the news of the medication shortage?

Yes, you will still be able to have an ADHD assessment, and if you receive a positive diagnosis and would like to discuss medication treatment, you will still be able to have a treatment planning session with our prescribing team to discuss your current treatment options. However, please be aware that in accordance with recent government guidelines, we will not be prescribing new clients with medication until the medication supply is rectified.

I have just received a diagnosis from ProblemShared for ADHD, when will I have my treatment planning session?

Treatment planning sessions will continue to go ahead so you can discuss with a prescriber the treatment options that are available to you. However, please be aware that in accordance with recent government guidelines, we will not be prescribing new clients with medication until the medication supply is rectified.

I have a treatment planning session booked, is this still going ahead due to the ADHD medication shortage?

I am currently taking medication prescribed by ProblemShared, but I am worried about my medication running out. What should I do?

You will have received correspondence from ProblemShared regarding our decision not to prescribe any ADHD medications during this time of supply shortage.

At your next review appointment, your prescriber will discuss with you alternate non-pharmacological options available to you and help you think about your ongoing treatment.

Email enquiries to: adhdmedication@problemshared.net

There are still pockets of supply for some ADHD medication, so why won’t ProblemShared prescribe? I know my local pharmacy has my medication because I checked with them.

The current supply of medications is both unreliable and diminishing. In many cases remaining ‘pockets’ of supply have been rapidly depleted by increased demand which has resulted in some pharmacists being unable to honor prescriptions.

Additionally, prescribing different medications or different dosages may result in potential side effects, so prescribing decisions need to be carefully weighed up against potential side effects.

Your medication type and dosage have been carefully tailored to balance clinical effectiveness and potential side effects. Current medication restrictions mean that it is not possible to ensure either the correct medication type or dosage that is suitable for you.

Client safety is our priority, and it is on this basis that we have made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend all prescribing pending assurances from the medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency that the supply is at a sustainable level to ensure continued safe prescribing. As soon as we have these, we will recommence prescribing services.

Why won’t ProblemShared write me a prescription for ADHD medication so that I can source the supply? I have found an online supplier of my ADHD medication.

The medications we prescribe for ADHD are safe and effective. However, they are robustly controlled drugs and it is essential that they are reliably and safely sourced. Whilst there may be some availability in certain pharmacies in areas across the U.K., this supply is likely to run out as people attempt to switch to alternative medication. Obtaining medication from other sources is potentially unsafe and we strongly advise against this.

I am prepared to pay more privately for my ADHD medication, can ProblemShared write a prescription for me?

The safety and wellbeing of our clients is paramount. A prescription can only be made if safe and reliable sources of medication can be achieved. Unfortunately this currently is not the case.

Is it safe to just stop taking my ADHD medication?

It is very safe to suddenly stop your medication, in fact we often advise clients take a ‘medication holiday’ to give yourself time off the medication from time to time.

You will not experience any withdrawal; however, you will notice the return of your ADHD symptoms. We do acknowledge that this in itself is stressful and can impact on your day-to-day life. We would advise you inform your workplace/manager/school, and family and friends that you have been unable to obtain your ADHD medication, so that they can support you during this time.

Can I be referred back to the NHS?

Should you wish to continue your sessions with an NHS clinician we will happily share information with your new clinician if (a) you give express permission in writing that you are happy for us to do this, and (b) we have received a letter from that clinician requesting the information.

Can my treatment be paid for by the NHS?

Currently, no. We are working to remedy this.

Who regulates ProblemShared?

The CQC regulate our psychiatry service. The GMC regulates our doctors. Our counsellors are all members of regulatory bodies and follow best practice guidelines set by those regulatory bodies. Further, we ask them to adhere to a code of conduct drawn from the requirements of professional psychotherapy bodies. We are working with the BACP to regulate our psychology and therapy services. We hope this will be in place by the end of 2020.

Do you record sessions?

We do not record any of our sessions. What you say in your session is confidential and remains between you and your practitioner.

Frequently asked questions

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