What is 'ADHD'?
Attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is term used by psychological practitioners to describe difficulties with
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inattentiveness
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difficulties concentrating
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hyperactivity
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impulsivity
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People may also experience
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rapidly fluctuating and overwhelming emotions
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impatience
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restlessness
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disorganisation
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feeling self-critical and a lack of confidence
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This can impact people in many areas of life, including managing everyday tasks, work, and personal relationships.
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ADHD tends to be ‘diagnosed’ as one of three types:
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‘Predominantly inattentive’
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‘Predominantly hyperactive’
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‘Combined presentation’​
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For these difficulties to be formally diagnosed as ADHD they must meet certain criteria. This requires a specialist ADHD assessment to be conducted.
ADHD Assessment
An ADHD assessment is an opportunity to meet with a psychologist to understand your experiences. The focus will be on understanding
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how and why these difficulties developed
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what maintains them
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how they can be addressed
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in what ways they may be considered strengths
Your psychologist will
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tell you if your difficulties meet the criteria for an ADHD diagnosis
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make recommendations for what to do next (whether you meet criteria for ADHD or not).
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Provide a psychological report summarising the assessment
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It is important that a general mental health assessment is conducted first, followed by a specialist ADHD assessment. This should always be conducted by a mental health professional with extensive experience in adult mental health, so they can
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accurately distinguish ADHD from (and alongside) other types of difficulties
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develop a clear understanding of your experiences, with you
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provide tailored recommendations
This approach is more thorough than simply providing a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to whether you 'have ADHD'.