What is 'ADHD'?
Attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is term used by psychological practitioners to describe difficulties with
-
inattentiveness
-
difficulties concentrating
-
hyperactivity
-
impulsivity
​
People may also experience
-
rapidly fluctuating and overwhelming emotions
-
impatience
-
restlessness
-
disorganisation
-
feeling self-critical and a lack of confidence
​
This can impact people in many areas of life, including managing everyday tasks, work, and personal relationships.
​
ADHD tends to be ‘diagnosed’ as one of three types:
​
-
‘Predominantly inattentive’
-
‘Predominantly hyperactive’
-
‘Combined presentation’​
​
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
-
how and why these difficulties developed
-
what maintains them
-
how they can be addressed
-
in what ways they may be considered strengths
Your psychologist will
-
tell you if your difficulties meet the criteria for an ADHD diagnosis
-
make recommendations for what to do next (whether you meet criteria for ADHD or not).
-
provide a psychological report summarising the assessment
​
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
-
accurately distinguish ADHD from (and alongside) other types of difficulties
-
develop a clear understanding of your experiences, with you
-
provide tailored recommendations
This approach is more thorough than simply providing a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to whether you 'have ADHD'. This is in accordance with guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which sets standards for clinical practice in the United Kingdom.