The WHO-validated adult ADHD self-report scale — used in clinical practice worldwide
Think about the past 6 months when answering
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The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with Ronald Kessler and colleagues, published in 2005. It is the most widely validated and used screening tool for adult ADHD in clinical practice. The scale measures 18 symptoms corresponding to the DSM criteria for ADHD across two dimensions — inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity — and asks about symptom frequency over the past 6 months. The first 6 items (Part A) have the highest discriminative power and are used as a clinical screening threshold.
ADHD affects approximately 5% of adults globally, yet the majority go undiagnosed. The primary reasons: the condition was historically conceptualised as a childhood disorder affecting hyperactive boys; inattentive presentation is far less visible and is frequently attributed to personality traits like laziness or disorganisation; high-intelligence individuals often develop compensatory strategies that mask symptoms until demands exceed their capacity; and women are systematically underdiagnosed because their presentations typically trend more inattentive and less hyperactive. The average age of adult ADHD diagnosis is in the late 30s to early 40s — decades after symptoms began.
Yukti Labs · yuktilabs.in · Psychology · Self-Knowledge · Inner Science · This tool is for screening purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is among the most misunderstood neurodevelopmental conditions — frequently reduced to "can't pay attention" when the reality is a complex profile of variable attention regulation, time perception differences, emotional intensity, and executive function challenges that interact with the individual's environment in highly specific ways.
Difficulty sustaining focus on tasks without inherent interest, frequent mind-wandering, tendency to lose items, difficulty with sequential organisation. Often missed in assessment because it lacks the behavioural visibility of hyperactivity — particularly underdiagnosed in women and high-intelligence individuals who compensate heavily.
Physical and mental restlessness, difficulty waiting, speaking before thinking, tendency toward impulsive decisions. More visible behaviourally and therefore historically more likely to be identified, but the internal experience is often one of a mind moving faster than the environment can accommodate.
One of the most functionally impactful ADHD characteristics — the inability to intuitively sense elapsed time, which creates chronic lateness, underestimation of task duration, and difficulty planning across longer time horizons. Not laziness; a genuine perceptual difference with neurological roots.
This assessment is a self-report screening tool, not a clinical diagnosis. ADHD diagnosis requires evaluation by a qualified clinician. This tool can help you understand your attentional patterns and decide whether professional assessment is warranted.