ADHD Assessment with a Psychiatrist in Ireland: What to Expect
2 days ago
7 min read
If you're researching an ADHD assessment with a psychiatrist in Ireland, you may have noticed that assessment pathways look very different from one provider to another. Some clinics offer a single psychiatric consultation and treat it as the full diagnosis. Others separate the psychological and medical stages entirely, leaving you to arrange a second referral yourself if you later want to explore medication.
At Vera Mental Health, our adult ADHD assessment follows a coordinated two-stage pathway involving both a psychologist and a Consultant Psychiatrist. The psychiatric consultation is not offered as a standalone service it always follows a psychological interview using the DIVA-5, so the psychiatrist reviews your documented findings before conducting their own independent evaluation. The aim isn't simply to confirm whether ADHD symptoms are present. A comprehensive assessment should also explore how those symptoms developed, how they affect everyday functioning, whether another condition could better explain them, and whether any co-occurring difficulties need to be considered alongside ADHD.
This guide explains what the psychiatric stage of an ADHD assessment actually involves, what a Consultant Psychiatrist adds to the diagnostic process, and how the full pathway works at Vera Mental Health.
What Does "ADHD Assessment with a Psychiatrist" Actually Mean?
An ADHD assessment with a psychiatrist is the stage of the diagnostic process carried out by a medically qualified doctor who has specialised in psychiatry. Alongside the psychological findings, the psychiatrist:
Reviews your physical and psychiatric medical history in full
Integrates the psychological assessment with a broader medical and psychiatric evaluation
Considers relevant differential diagnoses and co-occurring conditions, such as anxiety, depression, or sleep disorders, from a medical perspective
Confirms the diagnostic outcome and discusses it with you directly
Assesses whether medication is a clinically appropriate option, and can prescribe and manage it where indicated
This is where the psychiatric stage adds an important medical dimension to the assessment. A psychologist can carry out a detailed clinical interview and identify a clear ADHD symptom pattern, and psychologists are also well placed to consider differential diagnoses and co-occurring mental health conditions. What the Consultant Psychiatrist adds specifically is medical training, prescribing authority, and the integration of those findings into a full medical and psychiatric evaluation, opening the door to medication where it's clinically appropriate.
Why the Psychiatric Stage Matters So Much
ADHD symptoms rarely exist in isolation. Difficulty concentrating, low motivation, disorganisation, and restlessness can just as easily point to anxiety, depression, burnout, thyroid issues, or sleep deprivation. A psychiatrist's medical training is what allows these possibilities to be properly considered rather than assumed away.
Skipping this stage, or receiving it from a provider with limited ADHD-specific experience, can mean:
A diagnosis based on symptoms alone, without medical context
Missing an underlying condition that needs treating first
No clear pathway to medication if it later becomes relevant
A report that GPs, universities, or employers may hesitate to act on
The HSE's Adult ADHD Model of Care specifically highlights the importance of assessing co-occurring mental health conditions and considering other conditions whose symptoms can resemble ADHD. This is exactly why every comprehensive ADHD assessment at Vera Mental Health includes a dedicated diagnostic consultation with a Consultant Psychiatrist, not as an optional add-on, but as a core clinical stage of the process.
What Happens During Your Psychiatric ADHD Assessment at Vera Mental Health
Before Your Appointment
Your Consultant Psychiatrist reviews the findings from your earlier psychological interview, which is carried out using the DIVA-5, the internationally recognised structured interview for adult ADHD. This means your psychiatrist begins your session already familiar with your history, rather than starting from zero.
During the 45-Minute Consultation
Your psychiatrist will typically discuss:
Your current ADHD symptoms and how they affect daily life
Relevant medical, psychiatric, and family history
Sleep, mood, anxiety, and any substance use
Other conditions that may explain or coexist with your symptoms
Whether the clinical evidence supports a formal ADHD diagnosis
Where the clinical evidence supports it, your psychiatrist will discuss the diagnostic outcome with you directly and explain what it means in practical terms, rather than leaving you to interpret a report on your own. An ADHD diagnosis is never assumed before assessment begins a clinically responsible process has to allow for the possibility that another condition better explains your symptoms, or that ADHD coexists alongside something else. The goal isn't simply to reach a diagnosis, but to reach the most accurate understanding of what you're experiencing.
Discussing Treatment, Including Medication
An ADHD diagnosis does not automatically mean medication is recommended, and you are never expected to have decided in advance. Your psychiatrist will discuss the realistic options with you, which may include psychoeducation, ADHD-focused therapy, workplace or academic supports, or a conversation about Vera Mental Health's Consultant Psychiatrist-led medication pathway if it's clinically appropriate.
Your Diagnostic Report
Following your assessment, you receive a written diagnostic report within 2 to 3 days, prepared to HSE and NICE standards and accepted by GPs, employers, universities, and the CAO across Ireland.
Why Vera Mental Health Pairs the Psychiatric Assessment with a Psychologist
A psychiatric consultation is far more effective when it isn't starting from scratch. That's why Vera Mental Health structures every ADHD assessment as a two-stage, two-clinician pathway:
Psychological interview (60–90 minutes) with a PSI-registered psychologist, using the DIVA-5 to map your current and childhood symptoms, developmental history, and functional impact.
Psychiatric assessment (45 minutes) with an IMC-registered Consultant Psychiatrist, who reviews those findings, conducts an independent diagnostic consultation, and confirms the outcome.
You get the depth of a full psychological history and the medical rigour of a psychiatric evaluation, in one coordinated process rather than two disconnected appointments. If you'd like a deeper comparison of what each clinician contributes, our guide on Psychologist vs Psychiatrist for ADHD Assessment in Ireland breaks this down in detail.
Who Is This Right For?
An ADHD assessment with a psychiatrist as part of a combined pathway is particularly worth considering if you:
Want the option of medication to be genuinely available, not dependent on a second referral later
Have, or suspect, a co-occurring condition such as anxiety or depression, and want this properly considered as part of a differential diagnosis
Are looking to start treatment without delay once a diagnosis is confirmed, rather than waiting on a further referral
Were never assessed as a child and want a thorough, medically grounded evaluation as an adult
Need a diagnostic report that will be accepted by your GP, employer, or university
Have tried a screening tool or online quiz and want a proper clinical answer
Have already completed your ADHD assessment with our psychologist using the DIVA-5, and now need the psychiatric diagnostic consultation to receive your formal ADHD diagnostic confirmation
What It Costs
Vera Mental Health's full ADHD assessment, including both the psychological interview and the psychiatric assessment, costs €900 all-inclusive, payable in two instalments of €450. The psychological interview and the psychiatric consultation are always booked together as one pathway, not as separate standalone services. The fee covers:
The DIVA-5 psychological interview
The Consultant Psychiatrist's diagnostic consultation
Your full written diagnostic report
Not sure a full assessment is the right first step? An optional 30-minute screening consultation with a senior psychologist is available for €80, to help you decide whether a full assessment makes sense it is not itself a diagnosis.
A note on tax relief: many qualifying health expenses in Ireland, including consultant and psychologist fees, can be claimed at the standard 20% rate through Revenue's myAccount or ROS service (the old Med 1 paper form is no longer in use). This could reduce the effective cost of your assessment, but eligibility depends on your individual circumstances, so it's worth checking directly with Revenue.
No GP referral is required, and appointments are typically available within days, entirely online a meaningful difference when the current HSE waiting list for an adult ADHD assessment stands at two to three years.
Meet the Clinicians
Your ADHD assessment pathway at Vera Mental Health is delivered by:
Dr. Angela Rousseva — Consultant Psychiatrist (IMC No: 545995), specialising in adult ADHD and neurodevelopmental psychiatry, with over 30 years of clinical experience.
Dr. Muhammad Faheem Khan — Consultant Psychiatrist (IMC No: 063419), specialising in adult ADHD and complex psychiatry, with over 20 years of clinical expertise.
Gokhan Pinarbasi — Specialist Psychologist (PSI No: M14164), who carries out your DIVA-5 psychological interview and has clinical experience in ADHD and complex mental health presentations.
Depending on availability, your psychiatric consultation will be with Dr. Rousseva or Dr. Khan, following your ADHD Assessment with Psychologist.
ADHD Assessment with a Psychiatrist vs an Online ADHD Test
Online ADHD screening tools can be a useful first indication that further assessment may be worthwhile, but a screening score is not a clinical diagnosis. A full assessment with a psychiatrist and psychologist looks at far more than a symptom count, including:
When your symptoms began, and whether they were present in childhood
Whether they show up consistently across different areas of life
How significantly they affect your day-to-day functioning
Whether another condition could better explain the pattern
Whether anxiety, depression, or another difficulty coexists alongside it
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