Overview
Your Distinct diagnostic report is a formal clinical document prepared by the GMC-registered consultant psychiatrist who conducted your assessment. It is delivered within 7 days of your consultation, and most clients receive it within 5 days.
The report is suitable for sharing with your GP, employer, university, the DVLA, or anyone else with a legitimate reason to see it. It is prepared to the clinical standard required by these audiences, and it carries the professional authority of a consultant psychiatrist's signature. It is your document: it belongs to you, and you decide who sees it.
What the report contains
The report opens with the clinician's identifying information, their GMC registration number, and the date of the assessment. It records your personal details and the format of the assessment (video consultation using the DIVA-5 and CAARS alongside DSM-5 criteria).
The clinical body of the report covers your presenting concerns and why you sought assessment, your developmental and educational history, your occupational history and current functioning, relevant medical and psychiatric history, and the findings of the symptom rating scales completed before the assessment. It then sets out the detailed findings from the DIVA-5 interview, including which DSM-5 criteria were met in childhood and in adulthood, and the evidence from your account that supports each finding.
The report includes the clinician's assessment of the impact of your difficulties on daily functioning across work, relationships, daily life, and self-image. It addresses differential diagnostic considerations: whether any other conditions may be present or contributing, and how these were taken into account in reaching the clinical conclusion. The report concludes with the formal diagnosis (or absence of diagnosis), and clinical recommendations for next steps including whether medication is appropriate to consider and any other referrals or support that may be beneficial.
"Your report is not just a diagnosis. It is a clinical account of your experience, prepared by a specialist, that carries professional authority wherever you choose to take it."
The letter to your GP
Your report includes a letter addressed to your GP, summarising the clinical findings and setting out specific recommendations. This letter is designed to give your GP everything they need to understand the assessment outcome and to have an informed conversation with you about next steps, including whether to initiate shared care prescribing for ADHD medication.
You do not have to share your report with your GP if you do not wish to, but it is usually the most practical next step if you want NHS prescribing support. For more on navigating the conversation with your GP after diagnosis, see our guide to sharing your ADHD report with your GP.
What happens if the diagnosis is not confirmed
A negative result, where ADHD is not confirmed, still produces a full written report. The report will explain what the assessment found, which criteria were or were not met and why, what the clinical picture suggests instead, and what next steps the clinician recommends.
A thorough assessment that concludes ADHD is not present is clinically useful. It rules out one explanation for the difficulties you have been experiencing, clarifies the clinical picture for your GP and any other treating clinicians, and in some cases identifies another condition that is a better fit and that points toward a more appropriate treatment pathway. The report is worth sharing with your GP regardless of the outcome.
Using your report
Your report can be used for any legitimate purpose where clinical documentation of an ADHD diagnosis is required. There is no time limit: a report produced this year remains valid for use with an employer, university, or the DVLA at any point in the future. The diagnosis does not expire.
You are under no obligation to share your report with anyone. It is your document and your medical information. Some people choose to share it widely; others use it only with their GP. Both are entirely appropriate. The report belongs to you for as long as you need it.
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Using your report with employers and universities
A formal ADHD diagnosis from a GMC-registered consultant psychiatrist provides the clinical evidence needed to request reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. Employers are required to consider and implement reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities, and ADHD is covered as a disability under the Act when it has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities.
For university students, the report provides the clinical documentation needed to support a Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) application. DSA can fund specialist support, equipment, and non-medical help for students with ADHD, and the application process requires evidence from a qualified specialist clinician.
Supporting letters for specific purposes, such as a letter addressed to an employer or university setting out the diagnosis and relevant recommendations, are available on request. These can be provided in addition to the full report where a more targeted document is useful.
DVLA disclosure
If your ADHD affects your ability to drive safely, you are legally required to inform the DVLA. Not all people with ADHD are required to notify the DVLA: the obligation arises where the condition affects driving, not simply because a diagnosis exists. Your clinician will advise you whether DVLA notification is recommended in your case.
Your diagnostic report provides the clinical documentation the DVLA may require as part of the notification process. For detailed guidance on the DVLA disclosure process and what it involves, see our dedicated guide to ADHD and the DVLA.
Sharing and storing your report
Your report is delivered as a secure PDF document. It is worth keeping a copy in a safe place, both digitally and, if you prefer, as a printed document. You will not be charged for additional copies, and you can request a replacement from Distinct at any time if you lose access to the original.
When sharing the report with third parties, you can share either the full report or, where a briefer document is appropriate, the GP letter that accompanies it. For employers and universities in particular, the GP letter is often sufficient unless they specifically request the full clinical report. You can choose what to share and with whom, and you do not need to share your full clinical history with anyone unless you choose to.
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.