ADHD assessment in Dubai for adults and over-16s: a structured, two-step process
Belle Vie offers ADHD assessment in Dubai for people aged 16 and over. The assessment is carried out by Gordon Shaw, a counselling psychologist, using structured diagnostic tools, and you leave with a written report that sets out his diagnostic conclusion. If you would like to consider medication, or need a psychiatrist to confirm the diagnosis, an optional review with Dr. Peyman Mirshahzadeh, our psychiatrist, can be booked separately afterwards.
Many adults who come to us have wondered about ADHD for years, often after a child was diagnosed, a partner raised it, or work became harder to hold together than it should be. The purpose of a proper assessment is to answer the question carefully, including when the answer is that something else explains the difficulties. If you are looking for medication management for an existing diagnosis, see our psychiatry service in Dubai.
How the ADHD Assessment Works
The assessment is carried out by a psychologist. A psychiatrist is available afterwards if you want to discuss medication.
The assessment is with Gordon. He takes a detailed history going back to childhood, runs the structured diagnostic interview and rating scales described below, and asks about the other things that can produce the same symptoms: sleep, anxiety, low mood, stress at work, alcohol and substance use, and physical health. Where possible he also gathers information from someone who knew you as a child or knows you well now, because adults often underestimate or misremember their own symptoms.
He then brings everything together into a diagnostic conclusion and goes through it with you in a feedback session. If it is not ADHD, he will tell you what he thinks is going on and what would help instead. The psychiatric review with Dr. Peyman is optional and booked separately, once you have your report. He reviews Gordon’s findings with you, confirms the diagnosis and talks through whether medication is right for you.
ADHD Test or ADHD Assessment: What Is the Difference?
Many people start by searching for an ADHD test in Dubai. Short online tests and screening questionnaires can tell you whether your symptoms are worth looking into, but they cannot diagnose ADHD. A diagnosis needs a full assessment: a structured clinical interview, standardised rating scales, a developmental history, and a check for other explanations such as anxiety, low mood or poor sleep. That is what we offer at Belle Vie, for adults and young people aged 16 and over.
Related reading: how adult ADHD is diagnosed in Dubai.
When an ADHD Assessment in Dubai Is Worth Considering
ADHD in adults rarely looks like the restless child in the classroom. It is more often a pattern that has been there since school and keeps showing up in the same ways:
- Difficulty starting tasks, then working in last-minute bursts
- Losing track of time, deadlines, keys, messages and appointments
- A mind that will not settle, even when you are tired
- Reading the same page several times without taking it in
- Starting many things and finishing few
- Impulsive decisions, spending or comments you regret
- Restlessness, fidgeting, or needing to be constantly busy
- A history of school reports that said "bright but does not apply himself or herself"
What the Assessment Involves
There is no single test for ADHD. A good assessment brings together a structured interview, validated rating scales, a developmental history and a check for other explanations. Gordon uses four established tools:
DIVA-5, the Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults, works through each DSM-5 symptom for both adulthood and childhood, with concrete examples, so the diagnosis rests on specific evidence rather than a general impression. ASRS, the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale developed with the World Health Organization, is a short screening questionnaire. CAARS, the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scales, measure symptom severity and can be completed by you and by someone who knows you well, which gives a second view. CPT-3, the Conners Continuous Performance Test, is a computerised attention task that gives objective information on sustained attention and impulsivity. It is used alongside the interview, not as a diagnostic test on its own.
Alongside these, Gordon screens for anxiety, depression, sleep problems and trauma, because each of them can produce poor concentration and restlessness on its own, and because more than half of adults with ADHD have at least one of them as well.
Before the first appointment, it helps to bring:
- School reports or anything written about you as a child, if you still have them
- Any previous assessment, diagnosis or psychological report
- A list of current medication and supplements
- A partner, parent or sibling willing to complete a questionnaire or join part of a session
- Examples of how the difficulties show up at work, in study and at home
- Your Emirates ID or passport
The assessment takes more than one appointment: a structured interview and questionnaires with Gordon, then a review and feedback session where he goes through the findings with you, and then, if you want to consider medication, an optional appointment with our psychiatrist, Dr. Peyman, booked separately. We tell you the exact plan when you book. If the conclusion is that it is not ADHD, that is still a useful result: you will know what is driving the difficulties and what to do about it, and Belle Vie’s psychologists can pick that up directly.
Medication After an ADHD Diagnosis
Medication is a decision, not an automatic next step. If ADHD is diagnosed and you want to consider it, you can book a separate psychiatric review with Dr. Peyman. He reviews Gordon’s report, confirms the diagnosis, and explains the options, what each does, the side effects to watch for and how the first weeks are monitored.
Stimulant medication is a controlled medicine in the UAE. It can only be prescribed at an in-person appointment at our JLT clinic, on a controlled-drug prescription, and each new prescription has to be issued the same way. Non-stimulant options are not subject to the same restriction and can be reviewed online once treatment is established. Our online psychiatry page explains what can and cannot be done by video.
Medication is also not the only treatment. Structured support for planning, time management and the emotional side of a late diagnosis makes a difference on its own and alongside medication, and Gordon or another of our psychologists can provide it after the assessment.
Your Report, and Adjustments at Work or University
At the end of the assessment you receive a written report. It is written so that it can be shown to an employer, a university or another doctor without needing translation from clinical language, and it is yours to use or keep private as you choose. If you are asking for adjustments at work or in study, the report gives the person reading it what they need to act on the request.
The report covers:
- The diagnostic conclusion, or the conclusion that ADHD is not the explanation, and the evidence for it
- Which tools were used and what they showed
- Other conditions that were considered, and any that are present alongside ADHD
- Recommendations for treatment, including medication if it has been agreed
- Practical adjustments suggested for work or study
- A summary that can be shared with a GP or another clinician
The process described here follows the standard approach to adult ADHD diagnosis: a structured interview, rating scales, a developmental history, information from someone who knows you, and screening for conditions that mimic or accompany ADHD. CHADD, the US national ADHD organisation, has a clear summary of why each part matters. Follow-up after diagnosis is with Dr. Peyman for medication and with Gordon or another of our psychologists for everything else.
Who Carries Out Your ADHD Assessment
Gordon Shaw is a DHA and CDA licensed counselling psychologist with eight years of clinical experience. He carries out the ADHD assessment using DIVA-5, ASRS, CAARS and CPT-3, and writes the report with the diagnostic conclusion. He also works with adults on trauma, anxiety and low mood. He is a schema therapist and is trained in EMDR. Read more about Gordon.
Dr. Peyman Mirshahzadeh, MD is a Dubai Health Authority licensed Specialist Psychiatrist with more than eight years of clinical experience. For clients who want to consider medication, he offers an optional psychiatric review: he reviews the assessment, confirms the diagnosis and manages medication, in person at the JLT clinic and, for non-controlled medication, online. He consults in English and Farsi. Read more about Dr. Peyman.
Age Range
Our ADHD assessment is for people aged 16 and over. We do not assess ADHD in children under 16; if you are looking for a child assessment, we will point you to a service that does.
Where We Are
Belle Vie Therapy & Wellness is at HDS Business Centre, Office 403, Cluster M, Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), Dubai. Appointments are by booking only. Directions and contact details.