Do I have ADHD?
Do I have ADHD?
Recognising it starts with knowing what to look for.
Forgetful, easily distracted or always restless? That can fit with ADHD, but also with something else. The self-test gives you a first impression.
The self-test is the ASRS, a questionnaire for adults from the World Health Organization (WHO). The result is not a diagnosis, but it is a good way to start the conversation with your GP. On this page you can also read what ADHD is and what happens next.
- Questions
- 18Six core questions and twelve additional questions.
- Duration
- ± 5 minYou see the result straight after the last question.
- Period
- 6 monthsThe questions are about the past six months.
- Privacy
- AnonymousYour answers are not stored or sent.
The self-test
Do your symptoms fit with ADHD?
Answer 18 questions about the past six months. Each time, choose the answer that best describes how you have felt and conducted yourself.
ASRS-v1.1 · WHO
A first impression in five minutes.
- Free and anonymous: you do not need to fill in anything about yourself
- One question at a time, and you can always go back
- Your result straight away, with an explanation and next steps
- Print or save the result for your GP
How to fill it in
- Think about the past six months, not just today.
- Think of an ordinary week, not your best or worst days.
- Choose the answer that fits best. If you are unsure, go with your first instinct.
Not a diagnosis
The self-test is intended for adults aged 18 and over and gives an indication. Only a full assessment can show whether you have ADHD.
About the test
A recognised questionnaire, explained.
The ASRS (Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale) was developed by a WHO workgroup that included researchers from Harvard, among others. It is used worldwide to identify ADHD symptoms in adults.
How the result is determined
For each core question, an answer counts if it falls in a dark box. With four or more of the six, further assessment is worthwhile.
| Core question | Never | Rarely | Sometimes | Often | Very often |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Finishing tasks | does not count | does not count | counts | counts | counts |
| 2Organising | does not count | does not count | counts | counts | counts |
| 3Remembering appointments | does not count | does not count | counts | counts | counts |
| 4Putting things off | does not count | does not count | does not count | counts | counts |
| 5Not being able to sit still | does not count | does not count | does not count | counts | counts |
| 6Driven as if by a motor | does not count | does not count | does not count | counts | counts |
Dark box: this answer counts
Part A: six core questions
These questions are the best predictors of whether someone may have ADHD. In the original study, they even did this better than all 18 questions together.
Part B: twelve additional questions
Part B does not count towards the result. The answers do give additional points for discussion, which you will see with your result.
What the test cannot do
The test does not ask about your childhood and cannot distinguish ADHD from other causes, such as stress, low mood or lack of sleep. That requires a full assessment.
Source: Kessler RC et al. (2005). The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS): a short screening scale for use in the general population. Psychological Medicine 35(2), 245–256. Questionnaire ASRS-v1.1, © World Health Organization 2004. The questions follow the official English version.
What is ADHD?
Three core features, different in everyone.
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurobiological condition that starts in childhood. In adults it is often less visible, and shows more on the inside.
Attention deficit
Easily distracted, difficulty starting or finishing things, forgetting or losing things. Some people also recognise hyperfocus on things that interest them.
Hyperactivity
In adults often on the inside: a mind that is always switched on, difficulty relaxing or sitting still.
Impulsivity
Acting first, thinking later. Interrupting others, quick decisions, difficulty waiting.
Three types
According to the DSM-5, the handbook used by doctors and psychologists, there are three types of ADHD.
- Predominantly inattentiveMainly features of attention deficit. This used to be called ADD.
- Predominantly hyperactive-impulsiveMainly features of hyperactivity and impulsivity.
- CombinedFeatures of both attention deficit and hyperactivity and impulsivity.
Neurobiological
What happens in the brain
In ADHD, signal transmission in the brain works differently, especially in the prefrontal cortex. That is the part at the front of the brain that helps with planning, sustaining attention and holding back impulses.
There, nerve cells pass signals to each other using the substances dopamine and noradrenaline. The most widely used explanation is that in ADHD less of these substances is available between the cells. The signal then gets through less well.
So ADHD is not a matter of not wanting to, or of upbringing. It is largely hereditary: 70 to 80 per cent of the differences between people are due to genetic make-up.
Medication makes dopamine and noradrenaline stay available for longer. That is why it helps many adults with ADHD.
Enough dopamine and noradrenaline between the cells. The next cell is properly activated and passes the signal on.
What does that mean?
The prefrontal cortex works as a control centre. It filters what is important, keeps your attention on a task and holds back an impulse. You can also start and finish a boring task.
Less of these substances between the cells. Fewer receptors are reached and the next cell is less activated.
What does that mean?
The control centre receives too little. As a result, more stimuli actually come in unfiltered, attention jumps to whatever is new or exciting, and an impulse is held back less well. A boring task takes a lot of effort. Something that interests you does work, sometimes with hyperfocus.
- Dopamine and noradrenaline
- Receptor on the next cell
- Small pump that takes the substance back up
A simplified drawing. In reality it involves networks of brain areas, and it differs from person to person.
When is it ADHD?
Everyone recognises something. This is what makes the difference.
Everyone forgets things or gets distracted now and then. It is only ADHD when all of these conditions from the DSM-5 are met.
Enough features
In adults, at least five features of attention deficit, or five of hyperactivity and impulsivity, or both.
For some time
The features have been present for at least six months.
Since childhood
Several features were already present before the age of twelve.
In more than one situation
For example at home and at work, at school or in contact with others.
Clear impairment
The features clearly get in the way of how you function in daily life.
No better explanation
The symptoms are not better explained by another condition.
Or something else?
Looking like ADHD is not the same as ADHD.
Restlessness, forgetfulness or concentration problems can also have other causes. A self-test cannot tell the difference, but an assessment can.
Similar symptoms can be caused by
- Long-term stress
- Anxiety
- Low mood
- Traumatic experiences
- Sleep problems
- A physical condition
- Medication
- Alcohol or drugs
- Learned patterns
ADHD and something else
Someone can have ADHD and also struggle with anxiety, low mood or sleep problems. That is why we always look at the whole picture.
What happens next
From self-test to clarity.
For an assessment with us, you need a referral. This is what the route looks like.
Discuss it with your GP
Take your result with you, or the points you recognised in yourself. Also mention whether you have known these symptoms since childhood.
Your GP refers you
If an assessment fits your symptoms, your GP can refer you to us via ZorgDomein, the secure referral system used in Dutch healthcare.
How referral worksWe contact you
We review your registration and schedule your first appointment. There is a waiting time for diagnostics.
View the waiting timeThe assessment
Using information from your childhood, the DIVA-5 interview and a medical intake, we map out the whole picture.
About the assessment
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the self-test.
- No. The self-test gives an indication. Only a full assessment can show whether you have ADHD. If you recognise yourself in the result, discuss it with your GP.
- No. Your answers are not stored and not sent. They disappear as soon as you close or reload the page. If you want to keep the result, use 'Print or save as PDF'.
- Research shows that these six core questions are the best predictors of whether someone may have ADHD. The twelve other questions give additional information, but according to the guidance for this questionnaire they do not count towards the result.
- A self-test can miss symptoms. If your symptoms cause you a lot of trouble in daily life, discuss them with your GP, who can look at what is going on together with you.
- Not necessarily. Stress, lack of sleep, low mood or anxiety can also cause symptoms like these. For a diagnosis of ADHD, we look at your childhood and at other possible causes, among other things.
- Yes, as often as you like. For each question, think about the past six months and an ordinary week.
- No. The ASRS is intended for adults aged 18 and over. ADHD Medisch Centrum specialises in ADHD in adults.
- Yes. For diagnostics and treatment, you need a referral from your GP or another authorised referrer.