What does your assessment cover?
We require our clinicians to carry out a thorough assessment in line with standards set by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and the UK Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN). Diagnosis is strictly in line with the detailed criteria set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. (DSM-5).
Our assessment reports are audited against the gold standard ADHD Quality Assurance Standards (AQAS) set by UKAAN.
Pre-assessment preparation
At the pre-assessment stage, we require the following questionnaires to be completed:
Adult ADHD Self Report Scale (ASRS) is our screening tool used on our referral form and on the website to ensure patients meet the criteria for a full assessment of ADHD.
Weiss Functioning Impairment Rating Scale (WFIRS) Self Report to evaluate functional impairment in domains typically affected with ADHD
Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) to screen for depression
General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) to screen for anxiety
Childhood Informant Questionnaire providing collateral information of symptoms in childhood
Adult Informant Questionnaire providing collateral information of current symptoms
DIVA-5 Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in adults
Physical Health Questionnaire to screen for physical health co-morbidities
Summary Care Record for confirmation of medical and medication history
As well as the rating scales, a full psychiatric history and biopsychosocial assessment is carried out including:
presenting complaints
impact on life
family history
developmental history
pregnancy
early childhood
socioeconomic factors
educational history
occupational history
social history
physical health and past medical history
past psychiatric history and treatments
sleep
diet and appetite
lifestyle
substance use
forensic history
mental state examination including appearance, behaviour, speech, mood and affect, thought, perception, cognition, insight and judgement, risk, impression/formulation, capacity and consent.
If you'd like to watch a full assessment take place, you can find a video from one of our clients who was kind enough to record and share her assessment experience with us here at CARE ADHD.