Before the appointment
After booking, you will receive a pre-assessment questionnaire to complete before your appointment. This covers your current symptoms, how they affect your daily functioning, your developmental history, your educational and occupational history, and any relevant medical background. It takes most people between 20 and 40 minutes to complete, and there are no right or wrong answers.
The questionnaire is not a test. It gives your psychiatrist the background they need to conduct the consultation effectively, and it means the appointment itself can focus on exploration and clinical dialogue rather than on gathering basic biographical information. You should answer it honestly and in your own words. Do not try to present yourself in a particular way: the clinician is looking at your genuine experience, not at how you describe it.
You will also need a reliable internet connection and a device with a camera and microphone for the video call. It is worth testing these before your appointment and finding a quiet, private space where you will not be interrupted for the duration of the session.
The consultation
The consultation lasts between 60 and 90 minutes. It is conducted by a GMC-registered consultant psychiatrist via secure video call. The appointment follows a structured clinical interview format, primarily using the DIVA-5 (Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults) alongside validated symptom rating scales. The entire assessment follows DSM-5 diagnostic criteria.
The psychiatrist will work through your experience systematically, covering both childhood and adult presentations of ADHD symptoms across different areas of your life: education, work, relationships, daily functioning, and organisation. They will ask about the impact of any difficulties, their persistence over time, and the contexts in which they are most and least pronounced.
The consultation is a clinical conversation, not an examination. You are not expected to perform tasks, demonstrate impairment in real time, or present in any particular way. Many people with ADHD manage the appointment itself quite well, partly because it is novel and engaging, and partly because knowing something important is happening provides the urgency that ADHD attention systems respond to. This does not affect the validity of the assessment: the clinician is evaluating your history, not your behaviour in a single appointment.
What is actually being assessed
The assessment is evaluating whether your history and current presentation meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD as defined by the DSM-5. This requires evidence of persistent inattentive or hyperactive-impulsive symptoms, present since childhood, occurring across more than one setting, causing significant impairment, and not better explained by another condition.
A thorough assessment also considers differential diagnosis: other conditions that can produce similar presentations, including anxiety, depression, autism spectrum conditions, sleep disorders, and thyroid dysfunction. A consultant psychiatrist brings the clinical breadth to consider this full picture rather than assessing ADHD in isolation. This matters for the accuracy of the diagnosis and for the usefulness of the report to your GP.
Comorbid conditions are also assessed where relevant. Anxiety and depression frequently co-occur with ADHD in adults, and your report will reflect the full clinical picture rather than addressing ADHD in isolation.
Who carries out the assessment
All Distinct assessments are conducted by GMC-registered consultant psychiatrists with specialist training in adult psychiatry. Consultant psychiatrist is the highest grade of medical specialist in the UK psychiatric system, typically requiring over a decade of postgraduate training following medical school, including specialist registration with the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
This matters for the quality of the assessment and for the clinical weight of the resulting report. A report from a GMC-registered consultant psychiatrist is accepted by GPs, employers, universities, and the DVLA. It carries considerably more clinical authority than a report produced by a less senior clinician or countersigned by a consultant who did not conduct the assessment. For a fuller discussion of why clinician grade matters, see our guide to why the cheapest assessment might be the most expensive mistake.
"You do not need to be at your worst to receive an accurate diagnosis. The clinician is evaluating the pattern of your experience over a lifetime, not how you present on a single day."
The outcome
At the end of the consultation, your psychiatrist will share their clinical conclusion with you verbally. They will explain whether ADHD is confirmed, what subtype if so (predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, or combined presentation), which DSM-5 criteria were or were not met, and what they recommend as next steps.
If ADHD is not confirmed, your psychiatrist will explain what the assessment found and what they recommend instead. A negative result is not a failure or a dismissal: it is clinically useful information that rules out one explanation and helps point toward others. Your written report will reflect the full picture regardless of outcome.
You are welcome to ask questions at the end of the consultation. Most people have some, and the psychiatrist will take time to address them. The consultation ends when the clinical business is complete, not at a fixed time.
Your report
Your full written diagnostic report is delivered within 7 days of your consultation. Most clients receive it within 5 days. The report is a comprehensive clinical document covering your symptom history, the DSM-5 criteria met or not met, the impact of your difficulties on daily functioning, differential diagnostic considerations, and clinical recommendations for next steps.
It also includes a letter to your GP summarising the findings. Supporting letters for employers, universities, or the DVLA are available on request. For a detailed breakdown of what the report contains and how to use it, see our guide to what is in an ADHD diagnostic report.
Ready to book your assessment?
No referral needed. Appointments typically available within days.
What comes next
Once you have your report, the most common next step is sharing it with your GP. Your GP letter summarises the clinical findings and sets out recommended next steps, including whether medication is appropriate to consider. NHS prescribing following a private diagnosis is possible through a shared care arrangement, though individual practices vary in how readily they take this on.
Your report belongs to you. You can share it with anyone you choose, including employers seeking documentation for workplace adjustments, universities processing DSA applications, or the DVLA where disclosure is required. There is no obligation to share it with anyone, and no time limit on when you can use it.
This article has been reviewed for clinical accuracy by Distinct's clinical governance team, led by a consultant psychiatrist and senior NHS clinical leader with over two decades of specialist experience.