The idea usually arrives sideways. A son or daughter is assessed at school, and the parent filling in the questionnaire recognises their own childhood in it, line by line. Or a colleague mentions a diagnosis over lunch, and the description of missed deadlines, lost keys and 12 open tabs sounds uncomfortably familiar. By the time an adult books to talk about ADHD, the question has usually been sitting with them for years.
Most people who type adult ADHD assessment London into a search box are asking two things at once. Is this ADHD, or something else that looks like it? And if it might be, is a private assessment the right next step? Both deserve a straight answer, and sometimes the straight answer is that an assessment is not the place to start.
If you are at immediate risk of harming yourself or someone else, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent mental health help, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option, or call Samaritans free on 116 123, any hour.
What happens at an adult ADHD assessment in London?
At Clinique Alpa, ADHD assessments are consultant psychiatrist led. My part, as the GP whose special interest is psychological medicine, is often the conversation before that: whether a specialist assessment is the right step, and what needs looking at first. Here is what each stage covers.
What I look at first, as a GP
I start with why now. The traits may have been there for decades, but something usually changes before someone books: a promotion that took away the structure, a move to working from home, a new baby, a degree with no timetable. That change matters, because it tells me what has stopped working and what support might help, whatever the assessment finds.
Then I look for what can imitate ADHD, because concentration is one of the first things to go when almost anything else goes wrong. Poor sleep, including disturbed breathing at night. Anxiety, which keeps the mind busy and scattered. Depression, which slows thinking and drains motivation. Alcohol and other substances. Thyroid problems. Perimenopause, which can bring a sudden slump in focus and memory in women who had always coped well. A past head injury. Specific learning differences, such as dyslexia, which can look like inattention whenever reading or paperwork is involved. None of these rules ADHD out, and several often sit alongside it, but each changes what should happen next.
The story from childhood
ADHD is neurodevelopmental, which means the traits are there from childhood, even if nobody noticed them at the time. So the specialist assessment looks back: what school was like, what teachers said, whether the restlessness or the daydreaming was there before adult life got complicated. School reports help. So does someone who knew you as a child, often a parent or an older sibling, if they are willing and able to take part. Many adults, women especially, were described at school as chatty, dreamy or bright but disorganised, and nobody joined the dots.
How it shows up now
The assessment then looks at the present, across more than one part of life: work, home, relationships, money, driving. Poor focus in a job you dislike is not enough on its own. What matters is a pattern that shows up in several settings and costs you something real. Often there are systems built to cope: lists, alarms, working late to catch up. The assessment looks at what those systems cost as well as what they hide. Structured questionnaires are often used, for you and sometimes for someone who knows you well, but they open the conversation rather than close it.
What else is going on
A careful assessment screens for conditions that commonly travel with ADHD or mimic it: anxiety, depression, autism, sleep problems, and mood that rises as well as falls. This is not box ticking. It is how a psychiatrist reaches a conclusion that holds up, rather than one that simply fits the question you arrived with.
The outcome, and the report
At the end you receive a clear written outcome, with the reasons for it, in plain language. It may confirm ADHD, or it may not. It may point to something else that explains your difficulties better. Either way, the aim is that you leave understanding what the findings mean for you. If ADHD is diagnosed, the report sets out recommendations, and any treatment options are explained and discussed with you rather than assumed.
When is an ADHD assessment not the right next step?
Sometimes it is not, and we say so. If your concentration fell apart recently, alongside low mood or a run of bad sleep, the first job is to look at those. If you are in crisis, an assessment can wait and your safety cannot. If heavy drinking or another substance is part of the picture, it is hard for anyone to judge attention reliably until that has settled. And if anxiety is what you most need help with, that help should not be held back while you wait for a diagnosis; my piece on anxiety treatment in London covers that route. Sometimes a GP consultation, talking therapy or your NHS pathway will serve you better than a private assessment. If you already hold a diagnosis and are unsure it is right, a second opinion is a different conversation from a first assessment.
What should you bring?
- School reports, if you or your family still have them.
- The name of someone who knew you as a child and would be willing to help.
- Any previous assessments, including ones that reached a different answer.
- A list of anything you take regularly, and any relevant medical history.
- A few notes on where the difficulties show up now, with real examples from work and home.
How do we arrange ADHD assessments at Clinique Alpa?
Call the clinic or send an enquiry, and tell us what you are looking for. We confirm the right route, and the fee, before anything is booked. ADHD assessments are arranged individually, so the fee is confirmed for you rather than published as a single figure. The assessment takes place at 466 Green Lanes in Palmers Green, unhurried and private.
If you are not sure where to begin, begin with me. A 30 minute GP appointment in clinic is £100. I take a proper history, look at the things that imitate ADHD, and tell you honestly whether a specialist assessment would help. Autism is sometimes part of the same question, and I have written separately about what an adult autism assessment involves.
This is private care alongside your NHS GP, not a replacement. With your consent, a summary of any assessment goes to your NHS GP, so that diagnoses and recommendations join up with the rest of your care.
Written by Dr Mitesh Parmar, MBBS MRCGP, Principal GP and Clinical Director at Clinique Alpa, 466 Green Lanes, Palmers Green, London N13 5PA. This article is general information, not personal medical advice. In an emergency call 999. For NHS advice call 111 or visit nhs.uk.