Wondering whether you might have ADHD? Perhaps you’ve been struggling in school and wonder whether ADHD might explain your challenges. Maybe you’ve read or heard about ADHD or ADD and some of the symptoms remind you of yourself. Or possibly you know someone with ADHD and see some behaviors that are similar to traits you recognize in yourself. Perhaps your child was diagnosed with ADHD, and you’ve started to suspect that the “apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.”
Screening questionnaires:
The World Health Organization has developed two screening questionnaires for Adult ADHD that might help you start to answer the question “Might I have ADHD?” Their eighteen (18) question and six (6) question screening questionnaires are both available to print out in a variety of languages at:
Take a look:
Here are the questions making up the six (6) question version of the screening test. For each question, rate your answer as never, rarely, sometimes, often or very often.
| N e v e r |
R a r e l y |
S o m e t i m e s |
O f t e n |
V e r y O |
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1. How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project, once the challenging parts have been done?
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2. How often do you have difficulty getting things done in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?
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* | * | * | ||
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3. How often do you have trouble remembering appointments?
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* | * | * | ||
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4. When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?
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* | * | |||
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5. How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit down for a long time?
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* | * | |||
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6. How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things, like you were driven by a motor?
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* | * |
Note: Here’s a direct link to the English version of the questionnaire if you’d like to do it on paper: http://www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/ncs/ftpdir/adhd/6Q_ASRS_English.pdf
To score this screener:
- For the first three questions (1-3), give yourself a point for each question for which you answered sometimes, often or very often (see asterisks).
- For the last three questions (4-6), give yourself a point for each question for which you answered often or very often (see asterisks).
- Total your points for all the questions.
- Four (4) or more total points suggest that your symptoms may be consistent with Adult ADHD.
Concerned or have questions about your results? It may be beneficial to take your completed questionnaire to your healthcare professional during your next appointment to discuss your results and consider a more in-depth evaluation.
Wondering whether your child might have ADHD? Here’s a screening test for ADHD in children that you can look at:
http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/child-adhd-quiz.htm Again, it’s always important to check with your healthcare provider if you have questions or concerns.