What does ADHD look like in Adults?
Adults who have ADHD may experience difficulties in areas such as memory, concentration, personal organisation and planning, as well as behavioural, emotional, and social challenges. It is possible that these problems may not have been an issue until now due to strong coping mechanisms that have naturally compensated for these difficulties.
Adults with ADHD often see problems in a couple of major areas of executive functioning:
Organisation – Problems with organising, planning, prioritising tasks, and starting tasks.
Focus – Problems with sustaining focus and resisting distraction, especially with reading.
Motivation – Problems with motivation, sustained effort, and persistence.
Emotion – Difficulty regulating emotions and managing stress.
Memory – Problems with short-term memory and memory retrieval.
Self-regulation – Problems with self-control and self-regulation.
It is important to remember that ADHD can look different from one person to another. Some people may appear restless or impulsive, while others may be quiet, distracted, forgetful, or appear to be daydreaming. Difficulties may also vary depending on the environment, the level of interest in a task, and the amount of structure and support available.
What to Expect from the Assessment
Phase 1: Initial Consultation. A 15-minute consultation call to discuss your concerns, medical history, and determine whether a full assessment is appropriate for you.
Phase 2: Questionnaires. You'll complete a series of questionnaires. The support of two observers who know you well is also required (parent, spouse, partner, or close friend of at least 5 years). These are completed online before your appointment.
Phase 3: Clinical Interview. A 60-minute clinical interview conducted either in person or via video call to explore your developmental history, current functioning, and symptoms.
Phase 4: Feedback Session. A 50-minute session to review your comprehensive assessment report, discuss findings, and explore what this means for you. Available in person or virtually.
Optional Phase 5: Cognitive Assessment (if needed). A 2–3 hour cognitive assessment may be recommended if you require documentation for educational support or other purposes. This must be conducted in person and costs an additional €500.
Comprehensive written report outlining findings, diagnostic conclusion (if applicable), and recommendations.
Guidance on the next steps, including the potential onward referral to psychiatry for medication consultation.
Follow-up support available at €120 per session.
What You'll Receive
Do you often lose or forget things?
Is it often difficult for you to go to bed when you intend to and shut down your brain to sleep?
Do you get “in the zone” when you’re interested in something, often focusing so deeply that everything else falls away?
Are you always on the go, rarely able to relax, even when you want to?
Do you have a difficult time gauging the time it will take to do something and/or the time it will take to get somewhere?
Is it a challenge to get started on something, especially when you don’t understand it or it’s not interesting?
Do you tend to act impulsively, without anticipating the consequences?
Are you a procrastinator?
Do you rely on the pressure of deadlines to get things done, often at the last minute?
These questions were pulled from a questionnaire developed by Don Baker.
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, it may be helpful for you to complete the full questionnaire. These responses can provide useful additional information and help inform your decision to proceed to an assessment. It is important to note that the results of a questionnaire are not, in themselves, sufficient to provide a definitive diagnosis. Rather, they are intended to support and inform the overall psychological assessment process.
Click here for the full questionnaire.
Still uncertain if you may be struggling with ADHD?
Here are some questions below to ask yourself.