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Published on
August 6, 2024
6 min read
How UK’s Cog Lifeline App Boosts Treatment Access for ADHD Patients
A new application called Cog ADHD is bringing hope to over 2.5 million ADHD patients in the UK. According to The Next Web, the Cog ADHD lifeline app launch means that patients can access specialist care with less hassle,
The app also offers ADHD patients in-app treatment tools. The app is the brainchild of Dom Longford, the founder of Cog ADHD. Longford founded the platform after struggling with the condition. His breakthrough with ADHD came after one doctor suggested a new treatment approach.
Modular Treatment
The Cog ADHD lifeline app was developed by scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Its framework provides for treatment through five modules.
Each module in the treatment plan aligns with the skills that address a major ADHD impairment, These skills range from handling procrastination to coping with distractions,
Results from the ADHD lifeline app trials showed a significant reduction of symptoms among patients. Longford shared improvements from his personal experience.
“Suddenly, everything started to make sense. I wasn’t lazy, clumsy, or a failure; I just couldn’t regulate my attention like 95% of the population. I stopped hating myself,” he said.
A Comprehensive Toolkit
The improvements Longford experienced encouraged him to turn the framework into an application that he refers to as a comprehensive toolkit.
Combined with a portal for vetted clinicians, the app provides a range of services to users. These include self-help strategies, symptom analytics, and educational resources.
The Cog ADHD app launch comes at a time when demand for ADHD services is escalating in the UK. The waiting time for ADHD diagnosis can reach eight years.
Earlier this year, a think tank termed the current ADHD model as obsolete even as the NHS feels overwhelmed by the growing service needs.
ADHD Support
The public healthcare system is struggling to meet the demand for ADHD services. People are seeking alternative support from tech. According to Longford, tech offers a range of solutions to ADHD patients.
These include noise-canceling headphones, text-to-speed software, productivity apps, and now a Cog ADHD app. But by itself, tech cannot address the challenges at hand. Structural changes are required to make the ADHD care more efficient.
“That doesn’t just mean throwing more resources at the situation but being more innovative around how we support people with ADHD. We particularly encourage information and tools to enable people to tweak their lifestyle habits to keep ADHD symptoms as low as possible. By knowing what triggers ADHD, the public can start to make effective changes,” he added.
Providing quality support could benefit everyone. Mandatory teacher training on ADHD and the provision of resources in schools would also be critical.
