Could you have ADHD? A simple two minute test used by the NHS could help spot signs of the behavioural disorder.
Developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and experts from Harvard Medical School, the screening tool is comprised of 18 questions that ask about a participant’s attention span, level of restlessness and organisation skills.
Those who score above a certain threshold can then be referred for further specialist assessment.
The test, called the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Symptom Checklist, is endorsed by NHS organisations, charities and clinicians in both Britain and the US.
It comes as Oxford University came under fire for controversially marking almost every student it screened for ADHD as having the condition, granting them extra time in exams.
Meanwhile, there are increasing fears that the disorder is being overdiagnosed with studies finding prescriptions for ADHD drugs have soared year-on-year in a trend which has been partly blamed on social media websites like TikTok.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also warned that doctors are ‘overdiagnosing’ mental health conditions in general and that ‘too many people being written off’.
The WHO checklist is split into two sections, Part A and Part B.
Part A consists of six questions that data suggests are the most accurate in predicting if someone has ADHD. It includes queries like ‘How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?’ and ‘How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit down for a long time?’. Stock image
A score of four or more in this section indicates ‘the patient has symptoms highly consistent with ADHD in adults and further investigation is warranted. Pictured a version of the test hosted by the NHS
Part A consists of six questions considered to be the most accurate in predicting if someone has ADHD.
It includes questions like ‘how often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?’ and ‘how often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit down for a long time?’
Possible answers range from ‘never’ to ‘very often’.
Scores differ per question, answering ‘sometimes’ will generate one point for some whilst others require a person to answer at least ‘often’ to score.
A total of four or more indicates that ‘the patient has symptoms highly consistent with ADHD in adults and further investigation is warranted’.
Part B consists of 12 other questions, which can be used by a clinician to discuss potential symptoms with a patient.
Examples of Part B questions include: ‘How often do you make careless mistakes when you have to work on a boring or difficult project?’ and ‘how often do you find yourself talking too much when you are in social situations?’.
An online version of the ASRS checklist, hosted by the charity ADHD UK, can be taken here.
How ADHD is determined has come under the spotlight following news that almost every Oxford student screened for the condition was marked as having it after a 90-minute-assessment by an unqualified expert
Fascinating graphs show how ADHD prescriptions have risen over time, with the patient demographic shifting from children to adults with women in particular now driving the increase
Eligible patients can then be invited to an ADHD assessment with a clinician for further investigations.
This can involve exploring if another condition, like autism or depression, could be responsible for some of the symptoms.
According to the NHS, adults can only be diagnosed with ADHD if they have had symptoms since childhood.
The NHS says if a patient cannot recall if they had signs of the disorder as a child a clinician may ask to see old school records, or interview parents and former teachers.
But respected experts have previously told MailOnline that this diagnostic system is incredibly open to interpretation, particularly in the private sector.
They have warned many troubles that could prompt an ADHD diagnosis — such as difficulty maintaining attention at work or being distracted easily —are experiences most people have.
University College London‘s Professor Joanna Moncrieff previously told MailOnline ADHD diagnosis in adults has become ‘nebulous and elastic’.
‘One psychiatrist in one service can think almost everyone has it while another psychiatrist in another service thinks very few people have it,’ she said.
Former Bake Off host Sue Perkins (left) last year shared that she had been diagnosed and that ‘suddenly everything made sense – to me and those who love me’. Love Island’s Olivia Atwood (right) said ADHD made her ‘constantly overwhelmed’
‘The criteria for ADHD are subjective and we all have the symptoms of ADHD to one extent or another.
‘This concept of ADHD has got out there and everyone is reinterpreting their difficulties in the light this new idea, “I’m not bored and don’t like my job, I have ADHD”’.
ADHD is defined as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that has a direct negative impact on academic, occupational, or social functioning.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists states that ADHD affects an estimated three to four in every 100 adults.
However, there have been growing concerns that the condition could be being overdiagnosed in Britain.
Rising interest in ADHD diagnoses is thought to have been partly fuelled by celebrities such as model Katie Price, Love Island star Olivia Attwood and actress Sheridan Smith talking about their own experiences
It comes as concerning research earlier this week warned that trendy apps and social media influencers could be driving a surge in diagnoses.
Prescriptions for drugs to treat the condition have jumped almost a fifth year-on-year since the pandemic, experts found.
At the same time social media sites like TikTok and Instagram that promote everyday problems as potential ADHD symptoms have sowed the seed for ‘misinformation’ encouraging people to seek diagnosis, the scientists said.
While many experts have raised concern about rising diagnoses of ADHD, others have urged caution.
They highlight that ADHD was only officially listed in the UK as a disorder that can affect adults in 2008.
Before then, it was just recognised as a childhood problem that kids grew out of.
As a result, rather than being over diagnosed, some claim many adults are now being rightly told they have ADHD after having their symptoms dismissed for years.
