How Is ADHD Diagnosed in the UK?

A specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician or appropriately qualified professional takes a detailed history, explores symptoms with examples, reviews collateral information and considers other explanations. There is no blood test or scan for ADHD.

You complete questionnaires beforehand. On the day, the clinician conducts an interview lasting 2–3 hours covering your background, symptoms now and in childhood, impact on daily life, mental and physical health, and family history. You receive feedback and a written report.

Questions are specific and example-based.

DIVA-5 is a structured diagnostic interview for adults that works through each DSM-5 criterion for both childhood and adulthood. It supports, but does not replace, clinical judgement.

Useful evidence includes school reports, previous assessments, an informant (such as a parent) who can describe your childhood, and questionnaires from someone who knows you well now. None is mandatory, but more evidence usually increases diagnostic confidence.

Yes. Diagnostic criteria require several symptoms before age 12. They may not have been recognised at the time, particularly if structure or support masked them, but the assessment looks for evidence they were present.

Yes. Several symptoms must be present in two or more settings — for example home and school, or work and social life. Difficulties confined to one setting suggest another explanation should be explored.

Yes. Anxiety can impair concentration, cause restlessness and disrupt organisation. A key difference is that ADHD symptoms are lifelong and present across contexts, whereas anxiety-related difficulties often fluctuate with worry. The two also frequently coexist.

Yes. Since DSM-5, both can be diagnosed together. Some features overlap, so assessment considers which difficulties are better explained by each condition.

Yes. Adults are diagnosed using the same criteria with an adjusted symptom threshold (five symptoms for age 17 and over). Women and girls are more likely to be missed in childhood, often because inattentive symptoms are less disruptive to others.

Your clinician explains which criteria were or were not met, discusses other possible explanations, and recommends next steps — such as support for anxiety or low mood, a sleep assessment, or further assessment for another condition.

Text equivalent of our diagnostic pathway diagram: