Do I have ADHD? What to do if you think you might

You’ve read something about ADHD and felt a flicker of recognition. Maybe a friend was recently diagnosed and you found yourself thinking: that sounds exactly like me. Or perhaps you’ve wondered for years whether something is different about the way your brain works, and you’re finally ready to find out.

Whatever brought you here, this is a practical guide to the next steps — what to do, what to expect, and how to find the right support.

Recognising the patterns of ADHD

No checklist can diagnose ADHD. Only a qualified clinician can do that. But noticing your own patterns is a useful starting point for deciding whether it’s worth pursuing.

Ask yourself honestly whether any of the following feel familiar — not just on a bad day, but as something that’s been there for as long as you can remember:

• Difficulty staying focused, especially on routine or repetitive tasks
• Starting things but rarely finishing them
• Forgetting appointments, losing things, missing deadlines despite your best intentions
• A sense of restlessness — physical or mental — that’s hard to settle
• Saying or doing things impulsively, before you’ve really thought them through
• Struggling with time — underestimating how long things take, always running late
• Intense focus on things that interest you, and almost none for things that don’t
• Feeling overwhelmed by tasks that look simple from the outside
• Emotional reactions that feel bigger or harder to manage than the situation calls for
• A nagging sense that you’re working much harder than everyone else just to keep up

If several of these feel like they’ve always been there, and they’re showing up across different parts of your life, that’s worth exploring with a professional.

Talk to someone who knows you well

Before doing anything formal, it can help to talk to someone close to you — a partner, a good friend, a sibling. People with ADHD often don’t fully notice the impact of their own behaviour, because it feels completely normal from the inside. Someone who knows you well might be able to confirm whether what you’re noticing matches how they experience you.

This isn’t about building a case one way or another. It’s just another perspective. And if you do go on to have a formal ADHD assessment, you may be asked whether people close to you have noticed similar things.

Speaking to your GP

In the UK, your GP is normally the first port of call for an NHS ADHD assessment. If they agree it’s worth exploring further, they can refer you to an adult mental health service or a specialist ADHD service in your area.

A few things that are useful to know before you go:

• NHS waiting times for adult ADHD assessment can be long in many parts of the UK — in some areas, including Leeds, we’re talking years rather than months.
• Not all GPs are familiar with how ADHD presents in adults, especially in women. It makes a real difference if you can be specific about your symptoms and how they affect your daily life.
• Bringing a few written notes to the appointment can help you stay focused and make sure you cover what you want to cover.

Even if you’re thinking about going for a private ADHD assessment, it’s still worth speaking to your GP. This keeps them in the loop and offers the chance to rule out anything else that might be contributing to your difficulties.

Gathering your history

ADHD is something you’re born with. It doesn’t appear in adulthood, even if it goes unnoticed for years.

Any ADHD assessment will involve looking at your history, such as how you got on at school, whether you had any early difficulties, and what parents or teachers observed.

It’s worth gathering what you can, even informally. Old school reports can be surprisingly revealing. Asking parents or siblings what they remember is often useful.

And you don’t need to have been a ‘difficult’ child. Plenty of adults with ADHD were the quiet ones — getting by, keeping their head down, with no one around them any the wiser.

Thinking about a private ADHD assessment

Given how long NHS waiting lists are, a lot of adults in the UK choose to go privately. There are plenty of reasons people do so:

• You’ve been waiting a long time and want answers now
• The delays are having a real impact on your work, relationships, or mental health
• You need a diagnosis to access support at work or at university
• You want to know whether ADHD might explain difficulties you’ve been managing alone for years

Private ADHD assessments vary quite a bit in quality, so it’s worth knowing what to look for.

How to choose a good ADHD assessment provider

The private ADHD assessment market has grown quickly, and not all providers are equal. Here’s what to look for:

• Clinicians with recognised qualifications and real experience in ADHD assessment
• A thorough process — a good assessment takes time and involves more than filling in a form
• Clear information upfront about what the ADHD assessment involves and what you’ll receive at the end — a full written report is standard
• Transparent pricing, with no surprises
• A service that doesn’t just hand you a report and send you on your way

Be wary of anything promising a very quick turnaround with minimal clinical contact, or where the cost is unusually low without explanation.

At Sort Brainhealth, we’re a not-for-profit service run by experienced clinicians. Our assessments are thorough and unhurried — we’re here to help you understand what’s going on, not just get you through the door and out the other side. Any surplus we make goes back into Bevan’s wider health services.

What happens if the assessment finds ADHD — or doesn’t?

Either outcome is genuinely useful.

If ADHD is confirmed, it opens the door to the right kind of support — whether that’s medication, therapy, coaching, adjustments at work, or simply having a framework that helps you make sense of yourself.

If the assessment doesn’t find ADHD, that matters too. It rules out one explanation and helps shift the focus to whatever else might be contributing to your difficulties. A good clinician won’t leave you without somewhere to go.

Disclaimer: This article is for information only and does not replace a clinical assessment. Only a qualified clinician can assess and diagnose ADHD.