People often ask us: “How do you diagnose ADHD?”. In recent years ADHD has become more discussed in the mainstream media. Celebrities and influencers openly talk about their experiences of ADHD diagnosis. Thousands of people google “ADHD test” every month in the UK.
In this article we break down some of the tests for ADHD and what a good assessment for ADHD looks like.
Brain Scans for ADHD
In 2023, Stephen Bartlett, on his Diary of a CEO podcast, was diagnosed by Dr Daniel Amen after having a brain scan. Dr Amen is an American psychiatrist and CEO of Amen Clinics, a group of 12 practices that use SPECT scans to assess and treat mental health conditions, including ADHD. Recently he was also in the news for scanning Kim Kardashian’s brain, and declaring she had “holes” and “low activity”, which he attributed to chronic stress.
In the podcast Dr Amen claimed he had scanned “250,000 brains”. He gave Stephen some questionnaires and assessed his brain scan. Dr Amen identified low brain activity in parts of Stephen’s brain, areas of traumatic brain injury and a “toxic” appearance, which he ascribed to previous exposure to mould. Dr Amen said he could fix these problems and linked them to an ADHD diagnosis.
Can a brain scan diagnose me?
So – do SPECT scans help us diagnose ADHD? Unfortunately, the evidence does not currently support this. SPECT scans involve a radioactive substance being injected into the bloodstream before the individual is scanned. The substance lights up on the scan, showing how much blood reaches each part of the brain. This links to how much activity is present in that area of the brain.
In order to diagnose someone based on a brain scan, we need to know how sensitive the scan is – i.e. does it pick up all cases of ADHD brain activity – and how specific that is: does that pattern of activity only suggest ADHD or could it also be seen in other circumstances? SPECT scans only show us a small snapshot of time; we cannot measure activity over a day or in lots of different settings. Often there is also an overlap in brain activity patterns between multiple conditions or “healthy” brains. This makes it hard to interpret the findings reliably.
Although large studies have reported structural changes on other types of brain scans, associated with ADHD, there is no definitive pattern seen in everyone scanned. This means we are still some way from using brain scans as an evidence-based tool for ADHD diagnosis.
ADHD Quiz or Test
Another common find is websites offering a quiz or free test for ADHD. These are often based one validated screening questionnaires for ADHD. If you visit your GP looking for an ADHD assessment you will often be given one of these questionnaires too.
How useful is an ADHD test?
ADHD questionnaires are designed to screen for possible symptoms of ADHD. They are used to decide whether a further assessment might be helpful. The NHS ADHD test given to you by your GP is usually the Adult ADHD Self Report Scale (ASRS). This was developed by the World Health Organisation. It is divided into two parts: A and B.
In the general population, the ASRS Part A has been estimated to have a positive predictive value of ~11.5%. This means if you have 100 people who score above the threshold for ADHD on the test, only 11.5 of them will actually have ADHD. Even if you get 100 people with ADHD to do the test, it will only pick up 68.7% of them as having symptoms of ADHD.
This means, like the brain scans, these tests are not diagnostic tools. Free tests for ADHD are cheap, quick and may give you an idea if you have symptoms of ADHD. They will not pick up everyone with a diagnosis, and will also pick up people who have symptoms of other conditions that mimic ADHD.
ADHD Assessment
Currently the only valid way we have to diagnose ADHD is a thorough ADHD assessment by an experienced clinician. In 2023 the UK Adult ADHD Network set out a quality assurance standard for assessment of ADHD in adults (ACAS). This is the gold standard recommended by NICE, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the NHS.
What is required for a proper ADHD assessment?
- Pre-assessment information (e.g. screening questionnaires, timelines)
- Collateral history (friend, relative, school reports)
- Developmental history
- Presenting complaint
- A semi-structured diagnostic interview (e.g. DIVA-5) – not a checklist
- Screening for mental health and physical comorbidity
- Risk assessment
- Assessment of cardiovascular health (BP, pulse, cardiac history)
- Discussion, psychoeducation and treatment planning
The UK Adult ADHD Network says:
“Adult ADHD should not be seen in isolation but as only one component of a full psychiatric and neurodevelopmental review… the assessor must be familiar with autism spectrum, mood/bipolar, personality and substance use disorders, and other comorbidities and differential diagnoses. It is also important to consider physical comorbidity.”
Our Assessment Process
At The Mind & Psychiatry Clinic, we only offer ADHD assessments by experienced consultant psychiatrists. Psychiatrists are medical doctors, who have years of training in mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions, and the interaction between these and physical health problems. This means they are uniquely placed to assess the whole picture and make sure that any diagnosis or treatment plan is relevant to the individual.
Many people with ADHD also have mental health diagnoses, such as anxiety and depression, and it is important that these are taken into account when managing and prescribing for ADHD.
Find out more about our assessment process here and book your ADHD assessment at The Mind & Psychiatry Clinic now.
Sources
Hellewell, S. I’m a brain expert. Here’s what I think about Kim Kardashian’s recent scan. The Independent (3rd December 2025).
Diary of a CEO Podcast. The ADHD Doctor: “I’ve Scanned 250,000 Brains” You (Steven Bartlett) Have ADHD!!! Dr Daniel Amen. (30th October 2023).
Farah, M. and Gillingham, S. The Puzzle of Neuroimaging and Psychiatric Diagnosis: Technology and Nosology in an Evolving Discipline. AJOB Neurosci. (2012).
Firouzabadi, F., Ramezanpour, S. et al. Neuroimaging in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Recent Advances. AJR Am J Roentgenol. (2022).
Chamberlain, S., Cortese, S. and Grant, J. Screening for adult ADHD using brief rating tools: What can we conclude from a positive screen? Some caveats. Compr Psychiatry. (2021).
Kessler et al. The World Health Organization adult ADHD self-report scale (ASRS): a short screening scale for use in the general population. Psychological Medicine. (2005).
Adamou, M., Arif, M. et al. The adult ADHD assessment quality assurance standard. Front Psychiatry. (2024).
Dr Alexandra Pittock is a consultant psychiatrist, and co-founder of The Mind & Psychiatry Clinic. She provides private psychiatric services in Edinburgh and via secure video consultation across the UK.
