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Self-check · about 2 minutes

Adult ADHD screener (ASRS)

Six questions from the World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1). It shows whether your answers are like those of adults who have ADHD, so you can decide whether a full evaluation is worth asking for.

Not a diagnosis. A screener only shows whether a full evaluation might help. Anxiety, depression, poor sleep, thyroid problems, some medicines, hearing loss and, in older adults, memory problems can all cause similar trouble. Your answers stay on this page. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

Answer each question based on how you have felt and acted over the past 6 months.

1. How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project, once the challenging parts have been done?

2. How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?

3. How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?

4. When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?

5. How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit down for a long time?

6. How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things, like you were driven by a motor?

What to do next

  • Bring your printed answers to your doctor, or to a psychiatrist or psychologist who assesses adults for ADHD.
  • ADHD starts in childhood. Think about whether you had similar trouble at school or at home as a child; old report cards can help.
  • If concentration or memory problems began only in later life, tell your doctor. New problems in an older adult need a check for other causes first.
  • Read how adult ADHD is diagnosed and treated.

About this screener

The ASRS v1.1 screener was developed by Dr. Lenard Adler (New York University), Dr. Ronald Kessler and Dr. Thomas Spencer (Harvard) with the World Health Organization’s adult ADHD workgroup. It is used here unchanged and free of charge, as its license allows. © New York University and President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Source: Kessler RC, Adler L, Ames M, et al. The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS): a short screening scale for use in the general population. Psychol Med. 2005;35(2):245–256. Official screener and license.