Some answers to questions I got about ADHD diagnosis#

I recently got diagnosed with an attention disorder, and a few people reached through direct messages to have more information. Below is a general overview about how it went for me and how diagnosis work in France.

Why did I get a diagnosis?#

I did the diagnosis on my own free will after I noticed some behaviour issues in 2024 and 2025. The reason it came so late in my life is because:

I was compensating through excessive energy/will for most of my life and it ended after a third burnout, where I felt like I had to change.
Because my partner was also compensating for me. As her own health has deteriorated in the past two years, it increased the symptoms.

I had several other reasons to think I wasn't neurotypical, going from my childhood to adult life, the type of person I like to be close to, and other reasons. Everyone around me was pretty sure I had at least an attention disorder, with some thinking it was also hyperactivity, or even autism.

Who makes the diagnostic?#

It depends on the country, but in France you have several ways to get a diagnosis for neuroatypis. But first of all, let's clear what type of mental health specialists that are the more common in France.

Psychiatrist: A doctor specialized in psychiatry. They go through the generalist doctor path and specialize in neurology for 4 years. They can do psychology consultation, tests for ADHD, ASD, and can also deliver medicine and medical diagnosis. Unfortunately they are rare and overbooked.
Neurologist: A doctor specialized in neurology. They go through the generalist doctor path and specialize in neurology for 4 years. They focus on sicknesses related to the brain like epilepsy, migraine, and more. They are not mental health professionals but as doctors, they can deliver medicine related to mental health.
Psychologist: A mental health professional with a 5 years long state recognized psychology degree. They aren't doctors and cannot deliver medicine or a medical diagnosis. Some of them specialized themselves through training on topics like couple therapy, children, trauma, and of course, neurology.
Psychoanalyst: A professional trained in theory and practice to conduct psychoanalytic treatment, aka the Freud folks. They are not recognized health professionals, are trained in psychoanalist schools, which are very different from to another. Some can be the silent type only asking you about your parents, others are closer to psychologists.
Others: You can find a lot of others therapists, for example hypnotists. They are not recognized health professionals and do whatever they want. My personal opinion is that they can be dangerous, especially since the COVID pandemic and the rise of the New Age practices, and people should be cautious around them.

To get a diagnosis, I either had to find a psychiatrist or a neuro-psychologist. Both of them can get to a similar result using the same tests (for ADHD it's the Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults (DIVA for example) but there are subtle differences.

First of all, a neuro-psychologist will do a neuropsychological assessment. It means going further than just ADHD or ASD tests. I went this route to have tests for fatigue, sensibility, memory, cognitive and executive functions, and more. Meanwhile a friend who went through their psychiatrist only had the DIVA test and nothing more. So we both are recognized as having ADHD, while going through very different experiences, and if my diagnosis covers way more room than theirs, it's actually less valuable from a medical standpoint.

That's because the psychiatrist's diagnosis is considered as a medical verdict, while the neuro-psycholist is not (they aren't doctors, remember?). In France, people who intend to get recognition by the state (for example a disability recognition), or have several/complex mental health issues will prefer a psychiatrist as they can do everything from therapy to prescriptions, to letters to institutions.

Logically, going the neuro-psychologist road requires to transfer the verdict to either a psychiatrist or a neurologist depending of what is needed (therapy + prescription or just prescription). It adds a step and makes it more complicated.

Is it difficult to start the process?#

In France, it really depends of your financial resources.

As psychiatrist are considered as doctors, their consultation fee is partly reimbursed by the state and the rest by private health insurances. Quite logically, they are overbooked and many of them don't take new patients. We have medical-psychological public centers (CMP) in many cities, but they are overwhelmed too and from what I was told, they often can only focus on very seriously in need patients. The waiting time for a diagnosis through those two path can be from 12 to 24 months from what I was told.

On the other end, neuro-psychologists are private offices. Since they aren't doctors, their diagnosis are not reimbursed by the state, and most of the private health insurances won't cover them. Logically, they have way less waiting time than psychiatrists. I was able to get a rendez-vous in 3 months, and once it started, the whole process only took 2 months to get to the diagnosis. Even if I go to a neurologist or a psychiatrist to get a prescription, it will take less time than waiting for a psychiatrist. I paid 470 euros out of pocket for my diagnosis.

So once again, it's a case of financial resources and needs. Someone who needs a combination of therapy + prescription + recognition by the state, even if they have money, will need a psychiatrist and will have to wait as everyone else. Others, like me, can take a shortcut.