If you fail to think of an answer in the moment, tell them what you told us.

I’m terrible about thinking of things in the moment so but I want to be able to accurately explain some of the weird stuff I do.

It can also be a segway into explaining some of the weird stuff that might not otherwise come up. You are advocating for yourself whenever you see your doctors, make sure you tell them all the things you think they should know, even if they don’t ask.

The way my assessment was done was less about the questions and more about my actual behavior and how everything impacts my life, but that might be partially because I was diagnosed originally at 5, and then again at 32 since my records had been lost. So it was more of a confirmation of what I already knew. Apparently the assessments aren’t all the same.

Good luck on Monday! Here's roughly what adult assessments cover, so you can jot down examples without rehearsing answers (I'm on a medical editorial team that writes about ADHD, so general info only, clinics differ a bit):

• Childhood. Symptoms need to have been there before about age 12, so expect questions about school: reports like "could do better if they tried", losing things, daydreaming, unfinished homework, trouble for talking or fidgeting. Old school reports or a parent's memories help a lot.
• How it shows up now, in different places. Work or study, home, money, relationships. Concrete examples work best: late bills, abandoned projects, lost keys, missed appointments, interrupting, hyperfocus on some things and paralysis on others.
• Impact. Not just what you do, but what it has cost you: jobs, deadlines, fines, conflicts.
• Other explanations. Sleep, anxiety, mood, substances, thyroid. Answer honestly, it doesn't count against you.
• Questionnaires. Often the ASRS, sometimes one for a partner or parent too.

Practical trick: a one-page list of real examples on your phone, sorted childhood / work / home, and tell them at the start that you blank in the moment and made notes. Clinicians are used to that, honestly it's pretty on-brand for the assessment :)

Try to segment time in a way that will jog your memory, recall when "big issues" occurred, and write it down if it might be related to ADHD. E.g., think in the last year about issues in your work or personal relationships, and then the year before that. If a year is too long, try last month and then the month prior.

The key thing is to document the dysfunction part of ADHD. It's the dysfunctional responses that give physicians evidence for prescribing medications.

Friend, the fact that you are over planning this tells me you're on the road to a yes. Try to relax, stay honest, and if you can't think of something in the moment you can't.

Hope it goes okay!

if there's any meds or food/drink that usually help you become more talkative, that may possibly help.

my anti anxiety meds help me to have thoughts/memories flow into words more easily by limiting my over-thinking tendency.