I’m a doctor and here are the 12 questions I ask to determine whether an adult has ADHD

A popular doctor on TikTok has shared the 12 questions he asks adults to see if they have the behavioral disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Dr. Ali Ajaz – who has nearly 20,000 followers on TikTok – recently uploaded a video titled “12 questions to help determine if adults have ADHD,” in which he reveals what he asks patients to see if they might have the condition .

ADHD is a serious, complex neurobiological disorder characterized by inattention – such as a short attention span, being easily distracted, seeming forgetful or losing things – and impulsiveness, for example being unable to sit still and concentrate.

On TikTok alone, videos featuring #adhd have been viewed more than 27 billion times worldwide.

The 12 questions from Dr. Ajax can be seen below:

1. Do you have trouble concentrating on everyday tasks?

2. Are you often absent or do you lose track of time?

3. Do you make careless mistakes at work or on assignments?

4. Do you have trouble initiating tasks and leaving things to the last minute?

5. Do you struggle to complete one task at a time?

6. Do you have trouble organizing yourself?

7. Do you ever feel ashamed of how cluttered your bedroom, home or workspace is?

8. Do you regularly lose essential items such as mobile phone, keys, wallet?

9. Do you have trouble relaxing or unwinding?

10. Do you have trouble sleeping because your mind won’t turn off?

11. Do you have trouble waiting your turn in queues or conversations?

12. Do you have trouble listening when spoken to directly?

The Royal College of Psychiatrics states that ADHD affects about three to four in every 100 adults. It also says that ADHD is diagnosed more often in boys than girls.

In adults, however, the diagnosis of ADHD is more equal in men and women. This may be because boys as children are more likely to have hyperactive and impulsive symptoms, which are more noticeable.

Indeed, the complex condition has been heavily talked about in recent years as a spate of celebrities have announced they’ve been diagnosed with ADHD — including comedian Johnny Vegas, chef Heston Blumenthal, and show host Sue Perkins.

Speaking about the condition in January 2023, Johnny Vegas told BBC Breakfast: ‘Everyone has an element of ADHD. But what matters is how strong your filter is. If you don’t have a filter at all, simple things become time consuming.

“I’ll think, I’ll move that cup, and then you’ll have ten other ideas and you haven’t moved that cup. Three weeks later it has become this monumental task.’

Professor Philip Asherson, a psychiatrist from King’s College London, explains that ADHD is on a spectrum, similar to autism, and argues that it has become ‘arbitrary’ where to draw the line between what is ADHD and what is not.

Professor Asherson told MailOnline: ‘I’m concerned that because of the sheer volume of people coming forward, some groups, especially in the private sector, are making fairly rapid assessments.

‘These people always have a problem, but it’s not always ADHD. Misdiagnoses can therefore be made if the assessment is not careful enough.’

It wasn’t until 2008 that ADHD was officially listed in the UK as a condition affecting adults. Before that, it was only recognized as a problem that children would slowly grow out of.

Dr. Sally Cubbin, a consultant psychiatrist in the NHS and in private clinics in Oxford, Windsor and Southampton, said: ‘I think ADHD diagnoses really help adults explain why they struggled and have often been in mental health care but for the wrong disorder.

“Even psychiatrists don’t diagnose it and label it as anxiety and depression.”

Because ADHD in adults was only accepted 15 years ago, academics are still trying to solve the puzzle of how it affects older people.

Dr. Cubbin explained that before 2008, only people studying child psychology would have studied ADHD.

ADHD is strictly defined in the psychiatrist’s bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders (DSM).

To be diagnosed with ADHD, the DSM prescribes that an adult must have at least five symptoms of inattention (such as poor organization and distractibility) and/or at least five symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity (such as difficulty with quiet, leisure activities). , blurt out answers) for six months or more “to an extent inconsistent with developmental level and negatively impacting social and academic/vocational activities.”

The DSM also says that several ADHD symptoms should have been present before age 12.