Taking the First Step: Deciding if an Adult ADHD Assessment is Right for You

Are you an adult who has long suspected you might have ADHD? Perhaps you’ve experienced ongoing challenges with focus, organisation, impulsivity, or restlessness that impact your work, relationships, or daily life. Deciding to pursue an ADHD assessment is a significant step towards understanding yourself better and accessing potential support. Prior to a formal assessment, we offer a streamlined process to help determine if further evaluation would be beneficial.

We will provide you with confidential screening questionnaires, which you can easily complete online or download from our ‘Contact Us’ page. These questionnaires are carefully scored by our experienced team to indicate the likelihood of ADHD being present. If the results suggest that an assessment would be valuable, we will guide you through the different assessment options available for adults at our clinic.

Comprehensive Adult ADHD Assessments Conducted by Experts

At our clinic, all adult ADHD assessments are conducted by consultant psychiatrists and psychologists who are experts in the field and have extensive experience diagnosing and treating ADHD in adults. You can expect a thorough and professional evaluation that adheres to NICE Guidelines, ensuring the highest standards of care.

We offer two distinct types of adult ADHD assessments to cater to different needs and preferences:

Tier 1 Adult Assessment: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach

This comprehensive option involves appointments with both a psychologist and a psychiatrist. The psychologist will conduct psychometric and cognitive assessments to evaluate cognitive impairments and behavioural patterns associated with ADHD. The psychiatrist will undertake a structured medical evaluation of your mental health and psychiatric history, considering any co-occurring conditions. Their combined findings will result in a detailed report providing a diagnosis (if applicable), a comprehensive management plan, and tailored treatment options.

Tier 2 Adult Assessment: Psychiatrist-Led Evaluation

This assessment is conducted solely by a consultant psychiatrist. They will undertake a thorough evaluation, including a detailed clinical interview and review of your history, to determine a diagnosis. Their report will also provide a diagnosis (if applicable), a comprehensive management plan, and recommended treatment options.

Regardless of the tier you choose, your assessment will involve detailed questions about your symptom history from childhood to adulthood, developmental milestones, medical background, social and academic experiences, any history of substance use, your family background, and other relevant aspects of your life. It is crucial to be open and honest during the assessment to ensure an accurate and fact-based diagnosis. The consultant will also need to discuss any past or present illegal substance use to ensure the safety of any potential medication prescriptions.

Each appointment will typically last between 1 and 2 hours, and you may be asked to complete additional diagnostic questionnaires. In some cases, a physical check, such as weight and blood pressure measurement, may be necessary.

The Benefits of a Multi-Disciplinary Adult ADHD Assessment

Choosing to undergo an ADHD assessment conducted by both a psychologist and a psychiatrist offers a uniquely comprehensive and nuanced understanding of your potential diagnosis and needs. This collaborative approach brings together distinct areas of expertise to provide a more holistic evaluation.

Neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD are primarily understood through observable behavioural symptoms and cognitive constructs. Psychologists are extensively trained in behavioural and cognitive theory. They can administer various psychometric tests and cognitive assessments to evaluate specific cognitive impairments often associated with ADHD. This in-depth psychological evaluation ensures a thorough understanding of your individual challenges and how ADHD may manifest in your thoughts and behaviours.

A psychiatrist, with their medical training, brings a crucial clinical and physiological perspective to the assessment. They conduct a structured medical evaluation of your mental health and psychiatric history, considering any co-occurring mental health conditions (such as anxiety or depression) that may exist alongside or even instead of ADHD. Identifying these co-occurring conditions is vital for effective treatment planning, as sometimes treating underlying ADHD can improve the response to treatments for other conditions.

The collaboration between a psychologist and a psychiatrist, combined with information from a familiar person and targeted questionnaires, results in an exceptionally thorough assessment. This comprehensive approach offers you a deeper understanding of your presentation, diagnosis, behaviours, and cognitions, ultimately leading to a more personalised and effective intervention plan.

This thoroughness translates into tailored support for your journey. The psychologist can provide in-depth and specific recommendations for work and/or education, focusing on the social, emotional, and practical difficulties associated with ADHD. The psychiatrist can recommend and prescribe medication based on a comprehensive understanding of your medical and psychiatric history, diligently monitoring its effectiveness and ensuring optimal outcomes.

Providing a Comprehensive Picture: The Importance of Collateral Information

To gain a well-rounded understanding of your ADHD symptoms and their impact throughout your life, a crucial part of your assessment involves gathering information from someone who has known you since childhood. This “collateral information” from a familiar person provides valuable insights into the consistency and pervasiveness of your challenges over time. By speaking with someone who has observed you across different stages of your life, our consultants can obtain a more accurate and comprehensive perspective on your ADHD.

We will ask for your consent to contact a family member, close friend, or another individual who has known you for a significant period. Their input helps us understand the long-term patterns of your behaviour and how your symptoms have manifested since childhood, which is a key diagnostic criterion for ADHD.

If there is not a suitable person available to provide this collateral information, it is important to inform us. In such cases, it is likely that our consultant will recommend a QbTest as an additional objective measure to support the assessment process.

Utilising Objective Data: Understanding the QbTest

In certain situations, our clinicians may recommend that you complete a QbTest as part of your ADHD assessment. This is a non-invasive, computer-based test that takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete in person at our clinic. The QbTest objectively measures the three core symptoms of ADHD: activity level, attention span, and impulsivity.

During the test, your movements are tracked by an infrared camera while you perform a computer-based task that requires sustained attention. The data collected is then compared to a normative control group of individuals of the same sex and age who do not have ADHD. The results are instantly generated in a detailed report that provides objective insights into your core ADHD symptoms.

A QbTest may be particularly helpful in situations where the results of your initial screening questionnaires are borderline, or when a familiar person is not available to provide essential collateral information. It can also be a valuable tool for monitoring the effectiveness of any prescribed medication on your ADHD symptoms over time.