OUR HISTORY

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ADDISS was founded by Andrea Bilbow, to address the lack of resources, support, and understanding for those affected by ADHD. She was the parent of 2 young boys newly (and in those days ‘controversially’) diagnosed with ADHD.

In 1994, Andrea, motivated by her own family’s experiences and the lack of any information in the UK, set up a local Support Group to connect with like-minded families to provide mutual support, after the diagnoses of her children aged 5 and 9. With the support of Dr Geoffrey Kewley,an Australian Paediatrician at the forefront of diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in the UK, a resource library and bookstore were also set up to address the lack of resources. Sales from the bookstore funded the Support Group and helped to set up a small office and helpline, click here to visit our shop

In 1996, Andrea attended her first US conference, hosted by CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.) Andrea was inspired by what she learned at the conference, particularly by Harvey Parker, one of the co-founders. He encouraged her to use her new-found knowledge, experience and drive to build something similar in the UK

In 1997, ADDISS hosted a 3-day International ADHD conference in the UK for parents and professionals – the first of many. Titled ‘Practical responses to ADHD’ the conference attracted global speakers from the USA, Australia and here in the UK such as Sari Solden, Thom Hartmann, Dr Paul Hutchins, Jerry Mills, Tim Wilens, Chris Dendy, Sharon Weiss, Professor Eric Taylor, Dr Paul Cooper, Dr Geof Kewley.

Future Conferences (13 in total) attracted renowned clinicians and researchers, Dr Thomas Brown, PhD, Dr Christopher Green, Peter Jensen, Ned Hallowell, John Ratey, Nancy Ratey, Gabrielle Carlson, Mary Solanto, Loretta Giorcelli, Kevin Roberts, Sam Goldstein, Keith Connors, Robert Doyle, Ari Tuckman, Edward Aull, Thomas Phelan. We were so honoured to have such esteemed specialists donate their time to come to the UK to help ADDISS fulfil its mission to educate and inform parents and professionals.

In 1998 ADDISS became a registered charity, and with support from the Department for Health, the organisation grew from a grassroots initiative into a national charity, dedicated to raising awareness, providing information and guidance, and advocating for the needs of individuals with ADHD and their families.

Having met Thomas Phelan, clinical psychologist and international renowned author of 123 Magic, at the CHADD conference, Andrea brought him to the UK in 1999. They toured the UK for a week, bringing the programme to a whole new audience, desperate to learn how to better parent their ADHD children. This relationship grew, and Tom became a regular visitor to the UK, providing seminars for parent. In 2009 Tom trained practitioners to deliver the programme in the UK, eventually giving the UK license to ADDISS – click here to view our training

In 2000, after working from a series of small offices, ADDISS opened a Resource Centre in Mill Hill, London. Visitors were able to access support, information and a range of books and videos – there was even the option of viewing the videos on site!

In 2001 the first edition of ‘ADHD News’ was published. That edition was distributed to over 120 support groups and 6000 parents and professionals. ADHD News continues to provide cutting edge reports and articles from UK and international experts, reports from the 13 international conferences we have hosted and real-life stories from the coalface. Click here to view…

In 2002, ADDISS received their first 3-year grant from the department of health to sustain and grow the charity and to set up the ADHD helpline. At this point, ADDISS began to cultivate our professional board. We are supported by experts across all fields, including Professor Eric Taylor who has continued to offer his unwavering support throughout the progression of ADDISS. (link to Professional Board)

The following year, in 2003, ADDISS organised a unique two-day consultation conference in Southport. Over 400 parents came from all over the UK to have their voices heard. The findings were codified into a unique and important document – Parents, Provision and Policy – A consultation with parents.

The consultation included expert keynote speakers and an interactive session with Phil Anderton and Steve Brown from the Lancashire Constabulary, who have remained friends and staunch supporters of ADDISS to this day. Phil went on to write a best selling book The Tipping Points: What professionals should recognise as the social impact of ADHD. All the royalties were kindly donated to ADDISS. Click here to view book…

The Report was sent to every Member of Parliament, many of whom welcomed the report with positive feedback. Click here to view report.

In 2004, ADDISS were invited to Westminster to attend the launch of the first ever All Party Parliamentary Group on ADHD chaired by Kerry Pollard MP.

In 2005 ADDISS, was involved in the development of a brand-new collaboration – ADHD Europe. A meeting of 12 organisations met to identify common challenges and to set the agenda for the organisation. In March 2006 our first collaborative contribution was made to the Green Paper on Mental Health and ADHD Europe was formally launched. ADDISS continues have representation on the board of ADHD Europe and in 2014, our CEO, Andrea Bilbow became the president of the organisation. As president, she was invited to open the World Federation Congress of ADHD that was held in Glasgow.

2006 was a busy year as we launched our ‘ADHD is real’ campaign with PR Company Just Health. This included ADDISS affiliate groups coming together to launch the UK’s first ADHD awareness week. This included a conference in London, the launch of 2 books published by ADDISS, a number of bulletins on TV, articles in local and national publications and interviews in over 25 regional radio stations. We also published our ADDISS Families Survey, which continues to be quoted in research papers. Click to view Families Survey…

The campaign won a prestigious award for the ‘Best UK Media Relations Campaign’ at the Communique award for PR and medical information event.

In 2007, we partnered with the National Autistic Society for the ‘Night of 1000 Voices’ at the Royal Albert Hall. Mylene Klaas hosted the event, which featured top West End performers and a special appearance by Joel Grey, attracting an audience of nearly 5000.

In 2012, Andrea was honoured with an OBE for services to families with ADHD. The ceremony took place in 2013, and the award was presented to Andrea by Prince William as the Queen had hurt her ankle! Andrea said that he was extremely empathetic to the challenges of raising a child with ADHD.

ADDISS has influenced the provision of services for ADHD across the country. The building block and foundations that we put in place has enabled support Groups around the country to thrive along with the creation of new and enduring national ADHD organisations such as ADHD UK.

This has not been an easy journey, from the beginning we were fighting a hostile press, but despite facing media hostility and scepticism about ADHD’s legitimacy, ADDISS persisted. Accused of “bringing” ADHD to the UK, of being a front to the pharmaceutical industry and many other slurs, ADDISS continues to combat this ignorance and raise awareness.

Through conferences, training sessions, and community outreach, ADDISS has played a pivotal role in shaping public perceptions and influencing policy, remaining a trusted voice for the ADHD community across the UK.