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Adult ADHD Self-Test: WHO 6-Question Screener (ASRS)

For adults aged 18 and over. Answer based on the past 6 months. It takes about 1 minute.

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Adult Self-Report Scale-V1.1 (ASRS-V1.1) Screener

Check the box that best describes how you have felt and conducted yourself over the past 6 months. Please give the completed questionnaire to your healthcare professional during your next appointment to discuss the results.

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?

Common questions

What is this result good for?

If you met the standard: a formal evaluation is worth your time. Print or save the result to bring along. An evaluation usually also asks whether these difficulties go back to childhood, so it helps to recall that or ask family(NICE, 2018).

If you did not: your answers do not look like the typical ADHD pattern. But screening misses some people: in the original validation study, about three in ten diagnosed cases were not picked up(Kessler et al., 2005). If the difficulties keep affecting your life, it is still worth talking to a professional; attention problems can also come from other causes such as anxiety or depression(NICE, 2018).

Can children use this questionnaire?

The original questionnaire specifies ages 18 and over. It should not be used directly to judge whether a child has ADHD.

How is screening different from diagnosis?

Screening helps determine whether further evaluation is worthwhile. Diagnosis requires a clinical assessment beyond questionnaire results. In general population samples, most people who screen positive do not meet diagnostic criteria(Chamberlain et al., 2021).

Why are there only six questions?

Researchers selected six questions from the 18-question ASRS and compared them with clinical diagnoses. A separate study of health plan members also supported its screening use. Its brevity does not make it a substitute for a full assessment(Kessler et al., 2005; Kessler et al., 2007).

Evidence

References (4)
  1. GuidelineAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and managementNICE (2018). NICE guideline NG87
  2. Cohort studyThe World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS): a short screening scale for use in the general populationKessler RC, Adler L, Ames M, Demler O, Faraone S, Hiripi E, Howes MJ, Jin R, Secnik K, Spencer T, Ustun TB, Walters EE (2005). Psychological Medicine
  3. Cohort studyScreening for adult ADHD using brief rating tools: What can we conclude from a positive screen? Some caveatsChamberlain SR, Cortese S, Grant JE (2021). Comprehensive Psychiatry
  4. Cohort studyValidity of the World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Screener in a representative sample of health plan membersKessler RC, Adler LA, Gruber MJ, Sarawate CA, Spencer T, Van Brunt DL (2007). International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research