The OAD Clinic
Private Adult ADHD Diagnosis & Assessment Process
The diagnostic process for Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at The OAD Clinic is a thorough, structured journey designed to provide an accurate understanding of the condition and its impact. Spanning 2.5 to 3 hours across three tailored sessions, our comprehensive approach ensures a personalised and detailed diagnosis.
What is an ADHD Assessment?
An ADHD assessment is a careful and structured process that helps to understand how attention and focus challenges affect your daily life. For adults, this can often bring clarity to long-standing patterns of inattention, restlessness, or difficulty staying organised.
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At The OAD Clinic, each assessment is carried out by a qualified clinician who follows NICE guidelines to ensure the highest standards of accuracy. The goal is not simply to label symptoms, but to gain a complete understanding of how they may have developed over time and how they impact areas such as work, relationships, and wellbeing.
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The assessment involves a detailed clinical interview, a review of your personal and medical history, and the use of recognised diagnostic tools such as the DIVA-5 (Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults). When appropriate, insights from a partner or family member can be included to help create a fuller picture.
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An ADHD assessment is often the first step toward understanding how your mind works. It provides the foundation for a clear diagnosis and the right support plan, helping you move forward with greater self-awareness and confidence.
Session 1: Mental Health Evaluation and ADHD Triage
The first session begins with a general mental health evaluation and ADHD assessment triage. We explore ADHD symptoms alongside your broader psychological and emotional wellbeing, as ADHD often coexists with conditions like anxiety or depression. Our clinicians discuss how ADHD differs in children versus adults, reviewing your childhood history, relationships, work challenges, and experiences with ADHD and sleep. This foundational step ensures a holistic view, setting the stage for a customised diagnostic process.
Session 2: Adult ADHD Testing with DIVA-5
In the second session, we administer the Adult ADHD test using the DIVA-5 (Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults), a gold-standard testing tool. This structured assessment evaluates inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity across childhood and adulthood, identifying patterns like forgetfulness, distractibility, or restlessness. We examine how these traits affect daily life—whether managing ADHD at work or navigating ADHD and relationships—ensuring a reliable, context-rich diagnosis.
Step 3: Results and Personalised Treatment Options
The final step focuses on reviewing your results and exploring ADHD treatment options. Our clinicians explain the findings clearly, answering questions about what ADHD is and its impact on your life. Together, we craft a tailored plan, which may include ADHD medication, therapies, lifestyle adjustments, or natural remedies for ADHD. We also introduce strategies like ADHD coaching and structured routines to enhance focus and emotional regulation, empowering you for lasting improvement.
Who Can Diagnose ADHD?
In the UK, ADHD can only be diagnosed by a qualified healthcare professional with specialist training. At The OAD Clinic, assessments are conducted by consultant psychiatrists experienced in adult ADHD and registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). They are also carried out by senior qualified ADHD specialists.
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These clinicians follow NICE guidelines to ensure each diagnosis is accurate and clinically recognised. Only psychiatrists can prescribe medication if needed, allowing for a complete medical evaluation that also considers other conditions such as anxiety or depression.
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Choosing an accredited specialist ensures your diagnosis is valid, evidence-based, and supported by a tailored treatment plan designed around your specific needs.
Addressing Comorbidities and Comparisons
We understand that ADHD rarely exists in isolation. Many adults experience overlapping or coexisting conditions that can complicate diagnosis and treatment. Common comorbidities include anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and sleep-related difficulties. These conditions often share symptoms such as restlessness, poor concentration, or low motivation, which can make identifying ADHD more complex.
During assessment, our clinicians take a holistic approach to differentiate between ADHD and other mental health conditions, ensuring that each is accurately identified and addressed. This involves reviewing your full psychiatric history, exploring current symptoms in detail, and evaluating how these experiences interact and affect daily functioning.
By recognising and addressing coexisting conditions, we create a clearer understanding of how ADHD fits within your overall mental health profile. This clarity supports more effective treatment planning, helping you manage both ADHD symptoms and any related emotional or behavioural challenges.
The DIVA-5 results are compared with age- and gender-matched data from individuals both with and without ADHD, ensuring precision and transparency in the diagnostic report. This structured process allows our clinicians to provide an informed diagnosis with clear, easy-to-understand findings that guide the next steps in care.
ADHD Testing Tools
At The OAD Clinic, ADHD assessments use a range of evidence-based diagnostic tools to ensure an accurate and comprehensive evaluation. These tools assess patterns of attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, as well as how these traits affect different areas of daily life.
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One of the key tools used is the DIVA-5 (Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults), a structured interview widely recognised for its reliability. The DIVA-5 explores symptoms across both childhood and adulthood, helping to identify consistent patterns that meet diagnostic criteria.
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Additional questionnaires and clinical rating scales may also be used to provide further insight into your experiences. When helpful, a partner, family member, or close friend may be invited to share observations about your behaviour to support a well-rounded assessment.
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Together, these testing methods provide a detailed and evidence-based understanding of your symptoms, ensuring a diagnosis that reflects your individual experience.
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Gender-Specific or Late-Diagnosis Insight
At The OAD Clinic, we recognise that ADHD can appear differently depending on gender and life stage, which is why late diagnosis in adults, especially women, is increasingly common. Many people go undiagnosed in childhood because their symptoms are subtle or mistaken for personality traits rather than signs of a neurodevelopmental condition.
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Women often experience internal symptoms such as inattentiveness, disorganisation, or emotional overwhelm rather than noticeable hyperactivity. These traits can be misinterpreted as anxiety or mood disorders. Men are more likely to show external behaviours such as restlessness or impulsivity, which are more easily recognised during childhood.
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Our clinicians take these differences into account during assessment, ensuring that less obvious presentations of ADHD are identified. This involves exploring how factors such as hormones, social expectations, and life changes may influence how symptoms are expressed and managed.
For adults receiving a late diagnosis, the experience can be both enlightening and emotional.
Understanding ADHD later in life often helps make sense of years of challenges with focus, organisation, or confidence. The OAD Clinic’s approach combines clinical expertise with empathy, helping each person gain clarity and build strategies that support long-term wellbeing.
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Confidentiality and Professional Standards
Confidentiality is at the heart of every stage of our ADHD diagnostic process. All assessments, consultations, and reports are handled with complete discretion. Personal and medical information is stored securely and shared only with your explicit consent, in line with data protection and medical confidentiality standards.
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Our clinicians are fully accredited and adhere to the highest professional and ethical standards of medical practice. Each assessment follows evidence-based clinical guidelines to ensure accuracy, transparency, and patient safety. Reports are written clearly, avoiding unnecessary jargon, and are suitable for sharing with GPs, employers, or educational institutions only if you choose to do so.
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Respect, privacy, and trust are central to the way we work. Whether your sessions take place in person or remotely, you can be confident that your information remains secure and that your care is delivered with professionalism, sensitivity, and integrity.
Empowering Your ADHD Journey
For adults experiencing ADHD symptoms, our diagnostic process is a transformative step. By blending expert evaluation with tools like the visual ADHD test, The OAD Clinic equips you with the insights and strategies needed for effective ADHD management, fostering success in your personal and professional life.
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Ready to understand and manage your ADHD? Book your Adult ADHD Diagnosis session at The OAD Clinic today and take the first step toward more structure and control.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is involved in a private ADHD assessment?
A private ADHD assessment at The OAD Clinic includes a structured clinical interview, review of your medical and personal history, and the use of recognised diagnostic tools such as the DIVA-5. The process explores how symptoms affect different areas of your life and provides a clear, evidence-based diagnosis.
How long does an adult ADHD assessment take?
The full diagnostic process usually takes between 2.5 and 3 hours, spread across two or three sessions. This allows time for detailed discussion, testing, and review of results to ensure the diagnosis is accurate and personalised.
Do I need a referral for a private ADHD diagnosis?
A GP referral is not required to book an ADHD assessment at The OAD Clinic. However, sharing relevant medical history from your GP can be helpful for context and continuity of care.
Who can diagnose ADHD in adults?
In the UK, ADHD can only be diagnosed by a qualified healthcare professional with specialist training. At The OAD Clinic, all assessments are carried out by consultant psychiatrists registered with the General Medical Council and experienced in diagnosing adult ADHD, as well as senior qualified clinicians specialised in ADHD..
What tests are used during an ADHD assessment?
Our clinicians use a combination of structured interviews, such as the DIVA-5, and evidence-based rating scales. These tools assess attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, along with how symptoms affect your daily life.
Can ADHD be diagnosed later in life?
Yes. Many adults receive an ADHD diagnosis later in life, often after recognising long-standing difficulties with focus, organisation, or restlessness. A professional assessment can help you understand these challenges and provide clarity about how to manage them.
How is ADHD different in men and women?
ADHD symptoms can present differently between genders. Women often experience inattentive symptoms such as disorganisation or emotional overwhelm, while men may show more outward hyperactivity or impulsivity. Our clinicians take these differences into account during assessment.
What happens after an ADHD diagnosis?
Once your assessment is complete, your clinician will explain the results in detail and discuss treatment options. This may include medication, therapy, or lifestyle strategies designed to help you manage symptoms effectively.
Are ADHD assessments confidential?
Yes. All consultations and reports at The OAD Clinic are handled with complete confidentiality. Information is only shared with your consent and is stored securely according to medical data protection standards.
What if I have anxiety or another condition alongside ADHD?
ADHD often occurs with other conditions such as anxiety, depression, or autism. Our clinicians assess these factors during the diagnostic process to ensure that every aspect of your mental health is addressed and accurately identified.
