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Diagnosing ADHD in Adults

Dr. Avraham Yakir, Psychiatrist, Chief Psychiatrist, National Insurance Institute
30 September 2025

In the modern age, many people deal with information overload, functional pressures, and difficulty concentrating. However, not every difficulty indicates attention deficit disorder. Attention deficit disorder is a neurobiological disorder, and therefore the diagnosis should only be made by a specialist physician. The medical diagnosis is a clinical process that includes an in-depth conversation with the physician and understanding what are the symptoms and functional difficulties, filling out questionnaires, and a medical examination. The diagnosis examines clear criteria, which include proof that the symptoms have existed from a young age and result in functional impairment in several areas of life.

Characterization of symptoms and their functional meaningful

The diagnosis is not just a medical label, but a gateway to a thorough and accurate understanding of functional difficulties and the solutions to improve quality of life. Establishing a diagnosis is of great significance not only in terms of knowing that it can be treated and alleviated in the future, but it is also a kind of anchor for understanding many difficulties in the past. In other words, a thorough diagnosis can change your life experience: It allows you to understand that the difficulties you have experienced in the past, such as difficulty concentrating or organizing, do not stem from laziness or incompetence, but from abnormalities in brain structure and function.

NOTE: Adults with undiagnosed and untreated ADHD may suffer from depression, anxiety, addictions and other disorders at a higher rate than in the general population. Therefore, an inquiry that includes ruling out other or additional diagnoses is necessary. As a patient, you must take an active part in the process and understand the meaning of the diagnosis for you.

At the end of the diagnostic process, the physician will explain the diagnosis, characterize its significant manifestations in everyday life and how it can be treated. The diagnosis and broad mapping of the disorder, as well as awareness of its benefits and changes in its clinical symptoms over the years, form the basis for precise and focused pharmacological treatment. In addition, the diagnosis allows for the expansion of behavioral adaptation capabilities and the many changes that can be made with the help of diverse methods of non-pharmacological treatment.

Many of us feel overwhelmed – with information, tasks, demands and expectations. The modern world mixes between home and work, makes it difficult to organize and manage time, and challenges concentration. However, not every difficulty indicates attention deficit disorder. Attention deficit disorder has clear criteria, and diagnosing it is a clinical process that is based on a conversation and comprehensive examination with a specialist. If you suspect you have attention deficit disorder, you should contact a specialist physician for an accurate diagnosis. Attention deficit disorder is a neurobiological disorder, that is, a medical disorder, which also requires the exclusion of other medical disorders, so the diagnosis is made by a physician who has expertise in the field.

Stages of diagnosing ADHD

The process begins with a meeting, in which the diagnosing physician has a conversation with you, aimed at finding out what the functional difficulties are, the main symptoms you are dealing with, and accordingly determining their characterization and severity.

The international criteria that are also accepted in Israel require clarifying the following aspects:

    • The disorder was also present at a young age.
    • The existing symptoms cause functional impairment in at least two areas of life, for example, home and work.
    • The inquiry should be in-depth and not a short and superficial conversation, and include the exclusion of other diagnoses or factors that could cause the symptoms. For example, a person suffering from a thyroid dysfunction can suffer from slowness, difficulty concentrating and memory problems, symptoms that are similar to ADHD, but with treatment of the physical problem they will go away.

These questionnaires complete the conversation and assist the physician in characterizing the variety of manifestations of the disorder in childhood and adulthood.

Computerized, psychological and other tests

There are computerized, neuropsychological, neurocognitive, and other tests, but in principle, they are not necessary in order to reach a diagnosis of ADHD. The results of these tests indicate performance at a specific point in time, so their significance is only in raising diagnostic suspicion. Therefore, even if you are offered one test or another, it is best to wait to see the physician and receive precise instructions from him.

The diagnosis should be based on the personal report, the information from the questionnaires, and the overall medical examination. At the end of the process, the physician will detail the diagnosis and explain how to treat it. The expectation of receiving a diagnostic summary, which is common in children in the educational context and in providing accommodations, is understandable especially in the context of recognizing and confirming that these difficulties have a cause and a name, but when it comes to adults, a diagnostic summary does not have much meaning or need. The diagnostic summary phase is of great value in understanding the diagnosis and its expression in everyday life, giving a name to the disorder and a real explanation for the difficulties, and finally, understanding that it is possible to achieve positive repeated experiences of functional success with effective drug treatment.

Key points on the diagnosis of ADHD

Adults with ADHD who are not diagnosed and treated may suffer from depression, anxiety, addictions, and other disorders at a higher rate than adults who do not have ADHD. Therefore, the diagnosing physician is required to not only inquire about the symptoms of ADHD, but also to rule out diagnoses of other disorders. In other words, the diagnosis, especially if it was not made at a young age, includes a thorough investigation rather than a quick review of a list of symptoms and especially requires your understanding, as a patient, of the process and your full participation in the process itself.

Understanding ADHD and how it shows up

Beyond knowing that you have ADHD, there is great value in your awareness, the patient, of the manifestations of the disorder you have today, in understanding the behavioral goals that can be reduced with medication, and in understanding the manifestations of the disorder that can be reduced with cognitive behavioral therapy.

A thorough diagnostic process can contribute greatly not only to functional changes but also to awareness of your past and expanding your knowledge of the possibilities you have in the future. If you have had difficulties in the past, they may have been defined as laziness, incompetence, bad behavior, or disruptive behavior. Awareness and knowledge of the disorder can help you understand that you actually experienced difficulties initiating or being distracted, difficulty regulating responses, or difficulties with organization and time management. This understanding can help you, as an adult dealing with ADHD, create a more accurate life story, one that is less laden with guilt and shame about your past.

The significant process is not in describing the difficulties, which everyone knows well how to describe about themselves, but in organizing the phenomena that are familiar to a person under one heading, a medical diagnosis, which explains their persistence over the years. This diagnosis acknowledges the great difficulty in dealing with it without treatment in the past, and especially provides new and more precise words to describe it. For example, "difficulty in initiative" is a more precise definition than "laziness" because it connects brain function and behavior and without the burden of blame or criticism.

The effects of adult life on ADHD

The diagnosing physician will not be satisfied with simply determining whether or not ADHD exists, but will also map and characterize the manifestations of the disorder as they manifest in daily life and the cumulative damage caused by an untreated disorder.

The origin of the disorder is related to brain structure and hereditary basis, but the manner in which it is manifested, and accordingly the methods of treating it, change over the years. There are several explanations for this:

Functional demands increase and new skills are required in any case, but at the same time, the manifestations of the disorder are more significant. For example: A student, who is required to concentrate on his studies, but after a few years he is required to act simultaneously in the employment world, in a relationship and in parenting.

Can enable or limit the appearance of symptoms of the disorder. For example: Demands of an occupational role that requires thinking functions that were not required in previous roles can aggravate the manifestations of the disorder, or work that does not have a clear definition of time frames and the degree of activity will be much more challenging than work that is defined and limited in time and that includes assistants and consultants.

Allows learning new ways of coping and building compensation mechanisms and response patterns, can help create behavioral changes and reduce the manifestations of the disorder.

For example, improving sleep habits or stopping use of addictive substances can reduce the severity of symptoms. On the other hand, lack of treatment may lead to burnout, crisis situations, or depression that worsen the manifestations of the disorder.

Important to know

Important to know

Beyond knowing whether or not ADHD exists, there is great value in understanding the manifestations of the disorder, how the physician arrived at the diagnosis, and what the ways to treat it are. It is important for the physician to explain all these aspects comprehensively and accurately.

After getting the diagnosis: Goals for improvement

The very diagnosis and definition of symptoms that can be treated indicates possible and optimistic goals, for example:

  • Concentrate better, in studies and in any other aspect.
  • Listen and express yourself, in any context, marital, social, etc.
  • Plan and regulate behaviors better, for example in the financial aspect or in planning your career.
  • Maintain order and persist in behavioral patterns that will promote your physical and mental health.

Summary for readers with ADHD:

  1. Diagnosis: The diagnosis is based on clinical evaluation, which includes asking questions and completing questionnaires. There is no requirement to undergo computerized or lab tests to receive a diagnosis.
  2. Diagnostic summary: Reports and summaries are not very helpful for adult patients. Their main purpose is to provide a summary that helps raise awareness and understanding of the disorder and how to treat it.
  3. Understanding functional difficulties: Understanding the functional challenges related to brain functions is very helpful in reducing feelings of guilt and a negative self-image. This understanding also allows for greater acceptance of responsibility and the possibility of making changes.
  4. Attention deficit disorder changes over time: Due to changes in functional demands and the accumulation of challenges on one side, along with compensatory strategies on the other side, the symptoms of the disorder can evolve over time.