ADHD identified
You receive the diagnosis and presentation type, an explanation of your profile, and a treatment discussion covering medication, coaching and environmental strategies.
Assessment
ADHD Assessment for Adults
An ADHD assessment that takes attention, energy, impulsivity and emotional regulation seriously, including the versions that were never disruptive enough to be noticed. Completed online, wherever you are in the UK.
Overview
Who this is for
- Adults who have compensated for years and are running out of capacity
- Women whose inattentive presentation was read as daydreaming or anxiety
- People already diagnosed with anxiety or depression that has never quite explained everything
- Adults who recognise the pattern after a child or relative was diagnosed
Why someone might seek this
None of the following confirms anything on its own. They are simply the experiences people most often describe when they contact us.
- Starting tasks feels disproportionately hard, even ones that matter enormously
- Attention is either absent or total, with little in between
- Time slips, deadlines, appointments and durations are consistently hard to judge
- Emotional responses arrive fast and strongly, then pass
- Organisation systems work brilliantly for two weeks and then collapse
- Rest does not fix the exhaustion, because the effort is invisible
In short
What is an adult ADHD assessment?
An adult ADHD assessment is a clinical process that determines whether your difficulties with attention, activity level, impulsivity and self-regulation are best explained by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Our adult pathway is completed online and has six clear stages, shown in the timeline below: questionnaires and pre-assessment forms; a clinical team review of those forms; an online clinical assessment session lasting one to two hours; informant questionnaires and any follow-up contact needed; a multidisciplinary team review; and a feedback phone call followed by a written report within four to six weeks. The assessment covers current functioning and childhood history, because ADHD symptoms must have been present before age twelve and appear in more than one setting. Clinicians use validated tools such as the DIVA-5, ask an informant to complete questionnaires, and review school reports or other historical records. They also consider and rule out alternative explanations including anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and trauma, and identify co-occurring conditions such as autism. Diagnosis requires that symptoms cause meaningful impairment, not merely that they exist. The outcome specifies the presentation, predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, or combined, and is followed by a discussion of options, which may include medication, coaching, workplace adjustments, or a combination.
What information is gathered
- Questionnaires and pre-assessment forms completed by you in your own time
- A structured diagnostic interview using the DIVA-5
- Childhood evidence: school reports, report cards, parental recall, early memories
- Informant questionnaires completed by someone who knows you well, such as a partner, parent or sibling. The informant is not interviewed as standard, but the assessor may contact them to discuss you if more detail is needed
- Screening for co-occurring autism, learning differences, sleep and mood difficulties
- Physical health and medication history, including blood pressure and cardiac history where medication may be considered
- The practical impact: work, study, money, driving, relationships, home
How decisions are made
The assessing clinician presents your case in a multidisciplinary review with another trained professional, who uses all pre-assessment questionnaires, the clinical interview and any informant information to formulate the findings against DSM-5-TR criteria and NICE guideline NG87. Where the forms show mental health needs that would cloud the picture, we may ask for further information or encourage a full mental health assessment first. No single clinician makes a diagnostic decision alone.
What you can expect
- The whole assessment is completed securely online, wherever you are in the UK
- Appointments that are structured, but conversational rather than interrogative
- Written summaries after each stage so nothing depends on your memory of the meeting
- Frank discussion of medication, including the reasons someone might choose not to take it
The process
Your assessment journey
8 clear stages, each explained before it happens. You will never wonder what the next contact is about.
Outcomes
Outcomes and next steps
Criteria not met
We explain what did not meet threshold and what better explains your experience, often sleep, anxiety, trauma, burnout or an unassessed autistic profile.
ADHD plus a co-occurring profile
Very common. We describe how the profiles interact, which is usually the part that finally makes sense of contradictory experiences.
Next steps discussed
Your report sets out strategies and recommendations, and we talk through options, including how to raise medication with your GP if that is something you want to explore.
Medication
Medication and next steps
We do not prescribe medication. Our role is a thorough diagnostic assessment and a detailed report. If ADHD is identified, we will refer you to ADHD Plus, our trusted partner, who offer comprehensive ADHD assessments in the UK. With your consent, we share your report and contact details with ADHD Plus so they can contact you directly. We cannot guarantee their timescales, so we encourage you to call ADHD Plus after two weeks if you have not heard from them.
Go to ADHD PlusWhat to say when you contact ADHD Plus
Use this short script if you have not heard from ADHD Plus within two weeks of your referral:
- Hello, my name is [your name].
- I was referred to ADHD Plus by Sensational Minds after an ADHD assessment.
- My report and contact details were shared with your team with my consent.
- I have not heard from you yet and wanted to check the next steps.
- Could you let me know what will happen next, or when I might expect to hear from a clinician?
What we share with ADHD Plus and how we ask for consent
We will only share the minimum information needed for ADHD Plus to continue your care. You are in control and can decline.
What we share
- Your completed Sensational Minds ADHD assessment report.
- Your full name, phone number and email address so they can contact you.
- A brief clinical summary of the ADHD findings relevant to medication review.
What we do not share
- Raw session recordings or transcripts.
- Information that is not relevant to your ADHD medication enquiry, such as unrelated family details.
- Any information if you do not give consent.
How we ask for consent
- 1During or after your feedback session we will explain why a referral to ADHD Plus may help.
- 2We will send you a consent form or ask you to confirm consent in writing.
- 3You can ask questions, take time to decide, or decline without affecting your assessment report.
- 4Once you consent, we securely send the information and confirm by email that the referral has been made.
Answers
ADHD Assessment for Adults: your questions answered
Written to be genuinely useful, and short enough to read at the end of a long day.
How long does an adult ADHD assessment take?
Most people complete the pathway in four to eight weeks. The main diagnostic appointment lasts one to two hours online, preceded by questionnaires and followed by a multidisciplinary review, an outcome phone call and a written report sent within four to six weeks of the feedback phone call.
Can adults really be diagnosed with ADHD?
Yes. ADHD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition and many adults reach diagnosis only after their coping strategies stop working, or after a child is diagnosed. Adult diagnosis requires evidence that symptoms were present in childhood, but not that they were recognised or documented at the time.
How is the assessment completed?
Fully online. After your forms are reviewed by the clinical team, you meet one of our clinicians online for the main assessment. An informant completes questionnaires, and the assessor may contact them if more detail is needed. The case is then discussed in a multidisciplinary team review between the assessing clinician and another trained professional.
Do I need an informant?
Corroborating evidence strengthens an adult ADHD assessment significantly, because symptoms must have been present in childhood. A partner, parent, sibling or someone who has known you a long time is ideal. Your informant completes questionnaires and is not interviewed as standard, although the assessor may contact them to discuss you if more detail is needed. Where nobody is available, we use structured recall and historical records, and we will be honest if the absence of corroboration limits diagnostic confidence.
What if my forms show mental health needs?
Where the pre-assessment forms show mental health needs, we may ask for further information or encourage a full mental health assessment first. Anxiety, depression and trauma can all affect attention, and assessing ADHD without addressing that picture first risks an unclear or inaccurate answer.
Do I need childhood school reports?
They help, but they are not essential. Where reports are unavailable we use structured recall, family accounts and other historical evidence. We will be honest if the absence of childhood evidence limits diagnostic confidence.
Do you prescribe ADHD medication?
We do not prescribe. Our role is a thorough, NICE-compliant diagnostic assessment and a detailed report, which you can take to your GP if you want to explore medication. Medication is only ever one option alongside strategies, coaching and environmental change.
What happens after the assessment if ADHD is identified?
You receive a full written report and an outcome phone call. If you want to explore medication, we will refer you to ADHD Plus, our trusted partner, who offer comprehensive ADHD assessments in the UK. With your consent, we share your report and contact details with ADHD Plus so they can contact you directly about their next steps.
How do medication discussions work with ADHD Plus?
ADHD Plus work independently of Sensational Minds. Once we refer you and share your report and contact details with your consent, their clinicians review the information and contact you directly. They will explain their process, fees and any further appointments needed. We cannot guarantee their timescales, so we encourage you to call ADHD Plus after two weeks if you have not heard from them.
Is medication the only option after an ADHD diagnosis?
No. Medication is one option, but many people manage well with strategies, coaching, environmental adjustments, sleep improvements and workplace or school support. We discuss all of these in your report and feedback session, whether or not you choose to be referred to ADHD Plus.
Will ADHD Plus definitely prescribe medication?
Not necessarily. Prescribing decisions depend on a full clinical review by ADHD Plus, including your physical health history, current symptoms and whether medication is safe and appropriate. They may recommend further assessment, monitoring or non-medication approaches first.
Will my GP take over prescribing?
Many will, under a shared-care agreement, which usually reduces long-term cost. Shared care is voluntary for GPs and some practices decline it. We provide the full shared-care documentation either way.
Is ADHD different in women?
The underlying condition is the same, but presentation and consequences often differ. Inattentive and internalised presentations are more common, hyperactivity may appear as restlessness or fast speech rather than visible movement, and symptoms can fluctuate with the menstrual cycle and perimenopause. This is a major reason women are diagnosed later and more often misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression first.
Can anxiety look like ADHD?
It can, and they frequently co-occur. The key distinction is timeline and pattern: ADHD attention difficulties are present across situations from childhood, whereas anxiety-driven concentration problems tend to track with periods of worry. Careful history-taking is how we separate them.
Is your ADHD diagnosis accepted by the NHS?
Our assessments follow NICE NG87 and are conducted by GMC- or HCPC-registered clinicians, so the diagnosis is widely accepted for education, workplace and DWP purposes. NHS trusts and individual GP practices set their own shared-care policies, which we cannot guarantee on their behalf.
Can ADHD be assessed alongside autism?
Yes, and it is often the right choice. The two frequently co-occur and each can mask the other. Our combined pathway assesses both in one coordinated process.
Will a diagnosis help at work or university?
Yes. It evidences reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, supports Disabled Students' Allowance applications, and underpins Access to Work funding for coaching or assistive technology.
What if I'm told I'm 'too successful' to have ADHD?
Achievement is not evidence against ADHD; it is often evidence of cost. Impairment can look like exhaustion, relationship strain, unfinished private projects or a career built entirely on deadline adrenaline. We assess impact, not job title.
How much does an adult ADHD assessment cost?
The adult ADHD assessment is £1,550, confirmed in writing before you commit, with no add-ons partway through. Ask us about payment plan options.
What do I need for the online assessment?
You need a quiet, private space, a reliable internet connection, a device with a camera and microphone, and a piece of paper and a pencil to hand. Having water nearby and minimising interruptions helps the session feel calmer.
What people say
"Receiving our son's autism diagnosis has made such a positive difference. It has given us a much deeper understanding of him, the way he experiences the world and why certain things can be challenging for him. Instead of feeling unsure or worried, we now feel empowered to support him in the right ways so he can thrive and be fully understood. What also meant so much to us was that the care didn't stop once the diagnosis was given."
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Book a no-obligation consultation, or send us a question and we will reply within one working day.