ADHD screening in adults

A broader view beyond the “classic” symptoms

Talking about ADHD in adults means looking beyond attention and hyperactivity. Because ADHD does not only show up in the mind. It is lived in the body, in rest, in emotional regulation, in daily energy, and in the relationship with food and the environment.

On this page you will find two screening tools for guidance. The first is based on the ASRS-6 questionnaire, a validated and widely used instrument for identifying core ADHD traits in adults. The second broadens the lens to include other areas which, according to current scientific evidence and clinical experience, often form part of the body-mind experience of ADHD, but are not captured by traditional questionnaires.

Neither of these questionnaires is diagnostic. Their purpose is to help you find your bearings, put a name to what you may be experiencing, and decide what your next step might be. If you are looking for a diagnosis, I recommend getting in touch with an ADHD support organisation in your area. If you prefer to look for a specialist directly, make sure their approach focuses on ADHD in adults and that they are up to date with the differences between this diagnosis in adults and in children, because there are many.

Classic screening

1. How often do you find it difficult to finish the final details of a project once you have completed the more difficult parts?
For the classic screen, “Sometimes” or more counts as a positive response.

2. How often do you find it difficult to organise things when you are doing a task that requires organisation?
For the classic screen, “Sometimes” or more counts as a positive response.

3. How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?
For the classic screen, “Often” or “Very often” counts as a positive response.

4. When you have to do a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?
For the classic screen, “Sometimes” or more counts as a positive response.

5. How often do you move constantly or fidget with your hands or feet when you have to stay seated for a long time?
For the classic screen, “Often” or “Very often” counts as a positive response.

6. How often do you feel overly active and driven to do things, as if you were pushed by a motor?
For the classic screen, “Often” or “Very often” counts as a positive response.
© World Health Organization.
Reference: Kessler RC, Adler L, Ames M, et al. (2005). Psychological Medicine.
No endorsement by WHO is implied.
The 0–24 sum is shown only as an additional reflection aid to help you think about the frequency of these difficulties. It is not part of the official ASRS v1.1 interpretation and does not replace a full clinical assessment.

Adult ADHD screening using the ASRS-6

The ASRS-6 is a brief questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization for the assessment of ADHD in adults. It evaluates a specific set of symptoms related to attention, organisation, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.

It is a useful, well-validated tool, especially as a first step. However, it focuses mainly on cognitive and behavioural symptoms and does not explore other areas that, in practice, often play a major role in how a person experiences ADHD in everyday life.

This questionnaire, based on the ASRS-6, allows you to carry out an indicative screening for ADHD in adults. It is not a diagnostic test. If these difficulties are having a significant impact on your daily life, it is worth discussing them with a qualified professional.

Classic screening

Body-Mind screening

Assessing ADHD in adults as a body-mind experience

Current research shows that ADHD in adults rarely presents in isolation. Sleep difficulties, difficulty resting, emotional dysregulation, physical stress, a complex relationship with food, eating disorders, and sensory hypersensitivity are all common, and they can amplify the impact of ADHD on everyday life.

These areas are not included in classic screening, but they are essential if you want to understand the fuller picture. Ignoring them often leads to incomplete interventions and to a persistent feeling that “something does not quite fit”.

The questionnaire below is an original tool, grounded in current scientific evidence and informed by my clinical work. It is designed to help you identify which body-mind areas may be influencing your current experience most strongly. If the classic screening has resonated with you, or even if it has not come out clearly positive but you still feel you are facing real difficulties, it may be helpful to widen the lens.

Please remember that this is an indicative screening tool, not a diagnostic test. It is designed to help you identify areas that may be affecting your attention, your energy, and your ability to regulate yourself in day-to-day life. This assessment does not label you. It simply offers an initial map to help you find your bearings.

1. Sleep and rhythm. Over the past 2 weeks, how often has your sleep been irregular or non-restorative, even when you have slept enough hours?

2. Starting to rest. How often do you find it hard to switch off at night because your mind or body is still going?

3. Energy and dips. How often do you experience ups and downs in energy that interfere with your day, such as peaks and crashes that are hard to anticipate?

4. Emotional regulation. How often do your emotions rise very quickly or drop very quickly, and then it is hard to get back to a more stable place?

5. Physical stress. How often do you notice bodily tension, restlessness, pressure in your chest, or a knot in your stomach in everyday situations?

6. Eating and internal signals. How often do you find it hard to notice hunger, fullness, or the real need to stop in time, so that you end up eating on autopilot or skipping meals?

7. Relationship with food. How often do you eat to soothe emotions, or alternate between periods of restriction and feeling out of control?

8. Sensory sensitivity and load. How often do noise, light, touch, clothing, or the environment overload you and leave you with less capacity for the rest of the day?
This questionnaire is indicative only. It does not diagnose ADHD or replace a clinical assessment.
ADHD body-mind screening

If one of these questionnaires has helped you understand yourself a little better, then it has already served its purpose.

First of all, I recommend reading my book, ADHD Body and Mind. The next step, if you would like to take it, is to go deeper and turn this map into a plan tailored to your history, your context, and your real needs. If you would like support with that process, you can book a consultation with me.

And please remember, these screening tools are not diagnostic and do not replace a clinical assessment. If you feel the results may be linked to a meaningful impact on your daily functioning, speak to your GP and explore it further with a qualified professional such as a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist.

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Disclaimer

The questionnaires presented on this page are intended solely for information, education, and self-exploration. The results are completely anonymous and are generated locally in your browser. No personal data is collected, no cookies are used, and no information is stored on servers or databases.

These tools do not constitute a clinical assessment or a diagnosis, and they do not replace an evaluation by a qualified professional. Their purpose is to support a better understanding of the ADHD experience from a body-mind perspective, grounded in current scientific evidence.

As a clinical neuroscientist, my commitment is to communicate science in ways that help people understand, reflect, and make informed decisions, without labelling, without diagnosing, and without promoting services in a hidden or indirect way. If, at any point, you feel that what appears here is having a real impact on your daily life, it deserves to be explored with appropriate professional support.