If you have read about adult ADHD, you have probably come across the ASRS — the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale. It is the screening tool the World Health Organisation developed with leading ADHD researchers, and it is what most UK GPs recognise as a starting point. Here is what it is, how to score it, and how to use a completed ASRS in your appointment.
What the ASRS is
The ASRS-v1.1 is a 6-question screening instrument. It is not a diagnosis — it is a way to flag whether an adult is likely to meet the criteria for ADHD and would benefit from a full assessment. It was developed by the WHO in partnership with researchers including Lenard Adler and Ronald Kessler, and is widely used in primary care worldwide.
The 'v1.1' is the short-form screener, drawn from the longer 18-question symptom checklist. The full 18-question version exists too and is sometimes used for richer history-taking, but the 6-question screener is the version GPs reach for first.
The six questions and what they measure
The six questions cover the inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity domains that define ADHD:
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 organisation?
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?
Each is answered on a 5-point scale: Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Very Often.
How scoring works
Each of the six questions has a specific shaded threshold. For questions 1–3, an answer of 'Sometimes', 'Often', or 'Very Often' counts as a positive response. For questions 4–6, only 'Often' or 'Very Often' counts as positive.
Add up your positive responses. Four or more out of six is considered a positive screen — meaning your symptoms are 'highly consistent with adult ADHD' and a full assessment is warranted.
What a positive screen means — and what it doesn't
A positive screen does not mean you have ADHD. Only a qualified clinician can make that diagnosis after a full assessment that looks at your symptom history, developmental history, functional impairment, and rules out other conditions.
What a positive screen does mean is that you have an objective, evidence-based reason to be referred. GPs respond well to a completed ASRS because it converts a vague 'I think I have ADHD' into a clear screening result.
How to use the completed form in your GP appointment
Print or bring the completed ASRS on your phone. When you ask for a referral, hand it over and say: 'I have completed the WHO ASRS-v1.1 and scored positive on four of six questions. I would like to be referred for an NHS ADHD assessment under Right to Choose.'
That moves the appointment past the 'do you actually have symptoms?' question and into the practical step of arranging the referral. Most appointments that begin with a completed ASRS end with a referral sent the same day.