If you’ve been wondering about ADHD, you’ve probably also been wondering what actually happens when you get checked for it. Is it a quiz? An interrogation? A five-minute chat that ends with a prescription? At Maine ADHD Clinic it’s none of those. Here’s a plain walkthrough of the whole process, so nothing about it is a mystery before you book.
TL;DR
- A real adult ADHD evaluation takes about 90 minutes, not five.
- It combines your life history, validated rating scales, a broad MindMetrix pre-screen, and Creyos cognitive testing.
- You do the paperwork from home; the evaluation itself happens over secure video.
- Sometimes the answer is “this isn’t ADHD,” and that answer is just as useful.
- Most people finish the whole process within a few weeks of their first call.
In this post
Before the visit: forms, MindMetrix, and Creyos
It starts with a free 15-minute phone call, where we talk through your questions and make sure an evaluation makes sense. After that, you complete secure electronic forms from home, along with MindMetrix (a broad psychiatric pre-screen) and Creyos cognitive testing, all on your own schedule. Some forms are the usual intake basics. The important ones are validated adult ADHD rating scales, which have been studied on thousands of adults and give your answers context: how does your experience compare with other adults your age?
If someone knew you as a kid, a parent, an older sibling, a childhood friend, there’s an observer version they can fill out too. ADHD starts in childhood even when nobody catches it there, so an outside memory of eight-year-old you is genuinely useful evidence. Not required, but useful. All of it happens from your couch, on your schedule, and takes about 30 minutes total.
The 90-minute interview
This is the heart of the evaluation, and it’s the part the quiz apps skip. Ninety minutes over secure video with me, a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner, walking through your actual life: school report cards and what teachers said, how you handle deadlines at work, what your kitchen counter looks like, how you sleep, what you’ve already tried.
The National Institute of Mental Health describes ADHD as a pattern of inattention or impulsivity that interferes with functioning in more than one setting. You can’t establish that pattern in five minutes. You establish it by asking real questions and listening to the answers, which is why the visit is scheduled for an hour and a half. Many patients tell me it’s the first time a provider didn’t check the clock.
Objective testing: what it measures
Interviews and rating scales are essential, but they’re both built on self-report. That’s why every evaluation here adds a third layer: objective cognitive testing.
Creyos is a set of short, game-like computer tasks completed from home. It measures attention, working memory, processing speed, and response control, and compares your results with norms for people your age. None of it diagnoses anything by itself. What it does is add hard data to the conversation, so the conclusion rests on evidence from three independent directions instead of a gut feeling.
This matters for a practical reason too. If you ever need documentation for work or school accommodations, an evaluation backed by objective testing carries more weight than a symptom checklist. You can read more about what’s included on the evaluation page.
Ruling out the look-alikes
Trouble focusing has many possible causes. Anxiety keeps your mind rehearsing worst cases. Depression drains the motivation that attention runs on. Sleep apnea sabotages concentration from underneath. Thyroid problems, perimenopause, and plain overload can all look remarkably like ADHD from the inside, a point the American Psychiatric Association makes in its own patient guidance.
A responsible evaluation screens for these on purpose. Sometimes the finding is ADHD plus anxiety, which is common and changes the treatment plan. Sometimes the finding is “not ADHD, and here’s what fits better.” That can be disappointing to hear, and it is still a win: you stop treating the wrong problem.
Results: what you walk away with
At the results visit you go over everything together: what the interview showed, what the testing measured, and what it adds up to. You leave with a written summary either way. If the diagnosis is ADHD, you also leave with a treatment plan you helped build, which may include medication, skills and structure changes, or both. Medication is only ever discussed after the diagnosis is established, never before, and you can read how those decisions get made on the medication management page.
How to prepare (you barely need to)
Honestly, the preparation is minimal. Complete the forms before your visit. If you have old report cards, past evaluations, or a medication list, gather them, they help but nothing falls apart without them. Find a private spot with decent internet. That’s it. There is nothing to study and no way to fail. The new patients page has the full step-by-step if you like knowing exactly what comes when.
One Maine-specific note: in much of the state, an in-person ADHD evaluation means a six-to-nine-month wait. Because this practice is telehealth-only and focused on one thing, most people finish the entire process, first call to written results, within a few weeks.
If you’ve been carrying the “is it ADHD?” question for years, you don’t have to answer it alone. Start with a free 15-minute phone call. No commitment required. Pick a time that works for you.
Medical Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions about your mental health. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 or go to your nearest emergency room. Reading this post does not create a provider-patient relationship with Maine ADHD Clinic.