A One-Minute ADHD Test

Summary

There is a six-question test for ADHD that takes a minute to complete. If you score highly on it, you are likely to have ADHD and have a strong reason to talk to a psychiatrist about getting medication. It’s a low-effort way to surface a real problem for yourself — or help someone else surface it.Here’s the story of how I found the test. If you just want the test, skip this section.A few years ago when I was moving from Moscow to London I had small leftover amounts of simulants 3-FMC and MDPV from my student days. I’d use them for productivity during exam periods, but I never actually enjoyed them recreationally. Still, I was not going to carry sketchy chemicals across two borders, so I figured I’d experiment with recreational use.I snorted a small line of 3-FMC and instead of having fun I finally felt clearheaded enough to stop procrastinating on writing a farewell post for my then-colleagues. I knew stimulants are a common treatment for ADHD, so a question popped into my head: do I have ADHD? Yes, stimulants help everyone focus, but the contrast was too striking to ignore.I took a few online tests, they did suggest ADHD. I then read more about ADHD online and that also suggested I had it. I kept reading and reading wanting full certainty.An actual depiction of me trying to figure out ADHDThere was only one definitive way to find out: get a diagnosis from a psychiatrist.I was leaving Russia in a few weeks, and Russia bans first-line ADHD medications like amphetamine and methylphenidate. So I decided to wait until I moved to London. After two months after arriving in London, I booked a private assessment with a psychiatrist. Shortly after, I had the 1.5 hour assessment and walked out with an ADHD diagnosis and a prescription for lisdexamfetamine, a prodrug of d-amphetamine.One of the questionnaires they sent me before the appointment was very short. I later learned that this six-question screener is surprisingly effective.In the test above, give yourself one point f...