Before your assessment: things that help

Waiting for an assessment can feel like standing in a hallway. You’ve found a door that might explain a lot, and it hasn’t opened yet. If that feels hard, it makes sense.

Waits can be long. That says more about the system than about you.

This piece is about the time in between: what to do with it, what you can leave, and where to turn if things get harder.

The in-between feeling

You might feel hopeful one day and doubtful the next. You might worry the assessor won’t believe you, or that it won’t turn out to be ADHD after all, and then what?

Worries like these are understandable. Feeling nervous about being assessed is common: CHADD, a US ADHD charity, notes that most people feel a little nervous about being evaluated.

You don’t have to settle the question on your own, either. Going over and over whether it’s “really” ADHD can be exhausting, and answering it is the assessment’s job. An international consensus statement from the World Federation of ADHD says ADHD can only be diagnosed by a licensed clinician.

Talking can help. The NHS says you may find it helpful to talk to friends and family, and that there are ADHD support groups locally and online. If you’re reading up on ADHD in the meantime, the NHS, NIMH and national ADHD charities are steadier places to start than a social media feed, and Learn is here whenever you want it.

Use the time, lightly

You don’t have to spend the wait preparing. If the restless energy wants somewhere to go, though, collecting everyday examples is a gentle place to start.

One example now and then is plenty. Note what happened, roughly how often it happens, and what it cost you. NIMH’s tips for talking with a health care provider suggest being specific about when things started, how severe they are and how often they happen. That’s much easier while a moment is still fresh.

If you can, dig out old school reports, or ask a relative what they remember about you as a child. NIMH says providers may look at school reports or other childhood records.

Questions are worth collecting too. When you find yourself wondering something, like what happens after the assessment or what support there is either way, write it down. NIMH suggests making a list of what you want to discuss and any questions you have. Then nothing important has to rely on memory in the room.

In Trace, the Example button on Today saves a moment in a few seconds. Your examples build up, by area of life, for the report you take to your assessment.

The wait is not a measure of you.

Things that don’t need a diagnosis

Plenty of everyday support doesn’t depend on an assessment. The NHS page on ADHD in adults mentions making time for physical activities you enjoy, getting enough sleep and having regular mealtimes. None of those needs a referral.

Practical tools are open to anyone, too. CHADD describes using a planner, or a phone app that reminds you when you have something scheduled. It also describes a “brain dump”: noting ideas or important thoughts as they come to you, rather than relying on your memory. Trace’s Brain dump is there for exactly that.

Learn has more on time, getting started and routines. Take what fits and leave the rest.

And some things can be left. You don’t have to read everything, try every tool, or have your whole story worked out before the day. Rest is a fine use of the time too.

If things get harder

Sometimes a wait lands in the middle of a hard stretch: work piling up, sleep slipping, mood dipping. You don’t have to wait for the assessment to ask for help with that.

The NHS suggests seeing a doctor to find out what support is available if symptoms are affecting your studies, work or relationships. NIMH encourages people not to wait for a health care provider to ask about their mental health, but to start the conversation themselves.

NIMH also suggests bringing up mental health concerns at an appointment with your doctor and asking for help. A few notes about what’s been happening, like the ones you’d take to an assessment, can make that conversation easier to start.

If things feel very heavy, the support lines in Settings → Help are there any time.

General information, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber or doctor about your own treatment. How we write

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