Frequently Asked Questions

ADHD is not an automatically notifiable condition for the DLVA. That means it is not an absolute requirement to notify them of any diagnosis; however, you must tell the DVLA if your ADHD or your ADHD medication affects your ability to drive safely. That means you should use your own judgement as to whether you should notify them. If in any doubt you should take medical advice. If you are still in any doubt you should probably notify. The DVLA’s page on ADHD can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/adhd-and-driving

Read this article on ADHD and Driving to learn more: https://www.passmefast.co.uk/resources/driving-advice/adhd-and-driving

Disclaimer: This was correct at the time of writing and is not formal advice. For formal advice please contact the DVLA and a medical professional.

Please see our diagnoisis pathway page here.

Many medical professionals ask for reports from family members (e.g. parents or siblings) or school reports to look for evidence of ADHD in childhood. ADHD is a lifelong condition and evidencing impact in childhood for adults can be a useful part of any diagnosis.

However, for many people neither family members nor school reports are available. For example – one of the oldest people the charity knows of being diagnosed was 73 at the time. On being asked a question about parents or others providing an opinion frankly said “My parents are dead. Everyone I knew at school I’ve either lost touch with or are dead” and was incredulous with the idea they should have kept their school reports for over half a century. Having school reports and people who knew you as a child is useful in an adult diagnosis but it is not an absolutely essential part of a diagnosis.

In those circumstances you will need to speak to your medical professional about what you do have available, what you recall of your childhood, and how they best want to evaluate you in the circumstances.

We also have more information on our adult diagnoisis pathway page here.

ADHD is a neurological and developmental disorder. The symptons can sometimes be missed until later in life but it is a condition someone has had all their life. PTSD or CPTSD is the result of a traumatic event. It causes physiological, cognitive, and emotional changes that can be confused with ADHD but are fundamentally very different.

ADDitude magazine has a good article on this: https://www.additudemag.com/ptsd-symptoms-adhd-diagnosis-difficult/

PIP (Personal Independence Payment) is a UK Benefit for providing for the extra costs if you have long term ill-health or a disability. You can find out details from the Government on PIP here. This is a very complex area. We therefore think the best thing we can do is increase awareness that there is a specialist charity focused on this topic area. We therefore recommend looking at Mental Health and Money Advice who have specialist information on the topic and are able to provide information based on which country in the UK you are in. Their pages include: what is PIP, can I claim PIP for mental health (short answer ~ yes), how to fill in the PIP form, supporting information for your PIP application, how to challenge a decision, and how to understand the decision.

Stem Cell Therapy, HBOT (Hyperbaric oxygen therapy), TMS (Transcranial magnetic stimulation) cannot cure ADHD.

ADHD is a life-long permanent medical condition. It is not curable; however with treatment the symptoms can be significantly lessened.

In our experience if you were diagnosed and medicated as a child, and continue medication as you move from child to adult services, then the continuous cover means you are not asked to immediately undertake an adult ADHD Assessment. Your clinician may request an Adult ADHD Assessment to understand your ADHD more but we would expect your current treatment to be continued as that is undertaken.

If you stop taking medication, especially covering the period covering the transition from child to adult services, then it is likely you will be asked for to go through an Adult ADHD Assessment. For a number of people their ADHD changes between childhood and adulthood. There is also the question of why medication was not needed and is now being asked for. Both those significant questions are answered via an adult ADHD Assessment. In those cases we would not expect your previous childhood medication regime to be restarted. Instead, assuming a renewed ADHD Assessment that warrants a medication regime, a medication proposal tailored to you now will be discussed with you.