If you have ever had ADHD “assessed” in a brief fifteen-minute visit, you may have walked away unsure whether the conclusion was actually right. A comprehensive evaluation is a different experience. Here is what the process involves — and why it is structured across two visits rather than squeezed into one.
Why two visits
An accurate ADHD diagnosis pulls together several threads: your history, how symptoms affect your functioning, validated rating scales, and the careful ruling out of conditions that can mimic ADHD. Doing that well — and then explaining it clearly — is difficult to compress into a single rushed hour. Two visits separate the gathering of information from the delivery of conclusions, and leave room in between to review records and score instruments properly. The result is a diagnosis you can actually trust, explained in a way that makes sense to you.
The first visit: the diagnostic evaluation
The first visit is a thorough, structured interview. Together we look at your current symptoms and how they affect your work, relationships, finances, and time management; your developmental and academic history, since ADHD begins in childhood even when it is recognized much later; and validated rating scales such as the ASRS v1.1 and the DIVA-5. It also includes a medical review for conditions that can resemble ADHD — thyroid function, sleep, mood, and anxiety — and, because treatment may involve stimulant medication, a baseline cardiovascular screening.
Between the visits
Between visits, any prior records are reviewed, the rating scales are scored, and the full picture is assembled. This is part of what a careful evaluation buys you: time to weigh the evidence rather than reaching for a quick answer.
The second visit: feedback and planning
The second visit is where you hear the conclusion — and, just as importantly, the reasoning behind it. If the findings support ADHD, we discuss treatment options together: stimulant and non-stimulant medication, behavioral and organizational strategies, and accommodations. If the findings point somewhere else, you receive a clear explanation of what fits better and what to do next. Either way, you leave with answers rather than a single word.
What you walk away with
You receive a written summary of the evaluation — the diagnosis, the clinical reasoning, and the recommendations — in language you can use for work, school, or accommodation requests. And if treatment is appropriate, there is a direct path into ongoing care rather than a referral elsewhere.
Who this is for
This evaluation is built for two kinds of adults: those seeking a first-time answer about whether they have ADHD, and those seeking a genuine second opinion when a previous diagnosis never quite fit. In both cases, the goal is the same — clarity you can act on with confidence.
Seeing patients in Hawaiʻi through HMSA PPO, HMSA QUEST, and AlohaCare — learn more about Hawaiʻi coverage →
Considering an ADHD evaluation?
The ADHD Comprehensive Evaluation is a thorough, two-visit assessment for adults — a structured interview, validated rating scales, a careful medical review, and a written summary you can use. Telehealth to adults in California and Hawaiʻi.