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Step 1
Assess your family history. Is there a family history of ADHD? If other close family members have ADHD, then you are more likely to have it.
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Step 2
Monitor your actions when asked to sit or stay in one place for an extended period of time. Do you have problems sitting still? Do you get out of your seat in situations where you should remain seated? Do you fidget a lot when you try to sit still? Be sure to keep a record of your actions.
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Step 3
Ask a friend to monitor your behavior as you sit at a desk and copy a passage out of a book. Copy two full pages. Have your friend make note of things which appear to distract your attention from your given task. Are you easily distracted by noises or activities around you? Do you have trouble concentrating on a boring project and seeing it through to the end?
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Step 4
Ask a friend to verbally give you driving directions to a location that you have never been. The directions should contain at least five different turns and mention several reference points. After your friend has finished, repeat the directions back. Notice your response. Do you have trouble listening to people even when they are speaking directly to you? Do you have trouble keeping up with long conversations? If so, you might have adult ADHD.
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Step 5
Attend a party or another social function with a friend. Mingle and converse, with your friend keeping track of your conversations. After an hour ask your friend if you often finish other people's sentences for them? Ask if you are able to remain talking to the same person from the beginning of a story to the end, or do you just wander away in the middle?
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Step 6
Give yourself a task, such as doing the dishes or raking the lawn. Do you have trouble focusing on one thing at a time? Does your mind wander? Do you find yourself starting--and not finishing--several different tasks at once?
