If you're an adult in Ireland trying to get assessed for ADHD right now, the honest answer is: it depends almost entirely on where you live and what you can afford, and neither route is quick. The public system is free at the point of use but the wait can run past two years in some areas and there's no service at all in others. The private system can get you a diagnosis in weeks, but the advertised price is rarely the full price, and diagnosis itself is only the first cost. This piece walks through both routes in detail — what the process actually involves, what it actually costs, what happens after you're diagnosed, and what's worth doing if you're on a waiting list right now.
~120,000
The HSE's own estimate of adults in Ireland living with ADHD — set against roughly eight operational specialist adult ADHD teams nationwide as of April 2026, a gap the HSE itself has acknowledged "exceeds the capacity of the established adult ADHD services."2
The HSE's National Clinical Programme for Adult ADHD was approved in 2019 and launched in January 2021, built around a model of care that routes adults through local General Adult Psychiatry teams rather than a single national ADHD clinic.1 The rollout has been gradual and uneven: by 2024, seven regional teams were operational with several more funded but still being staffed; by April 2026, that had grown to eight teams nationally, still described by the HSE as running with "severe capacity issues" in some areas.23 Where a team exists, adults report waits ranging from around 18 months to over two years, and in some catchment areas the HSE has told people directly that services are "only accepting new patients in some areas" — meaning the list is effectively closed until further capacity is added.3 Where no dedicated adult team exists at all — several regions, including parts of the west, midlands and south-east — people transitioning out of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) at 18 aren't guaranteed to be picked up by adult services, and some general adult mental health teams have paused new ADHD referrals entirely.2
The scale of the mismatch is well documented. An Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health hearing in 2023 was told that ADHD Ireland's contact volume had doubled to around 6,000 people a year, that up to a third of new referrals into some community mental health services are ADHD-related, and that fewer than 10% of adults believed to have ADHD in Ireland are receiving formal treatment — against an estimated annual socio-economic cost to the state of around €1.8 billion in lost productivity, healthcare use and related supports.4 None of that is a criticism of the clinicians working inside the system — it's a capacity problem, and it's one the HSE has itself acknowledged publicly.
However you get there, a proper adult ADHD assessment in Ireland is not a quick questionnaire. The HSE route starts with a GP referral, and many private clinics accept one too (some take self-referrals). A GP can flag ADHD and refer you on, but cannot diagnose and treat ADHD independently. From there, the public pathway typically runs: GP referral, an initial mental health screening using standardised questionnaires, then a full specialist assessment — usually three to six months after screening, on top of whatever the waiting list adds before that — with a consultant psychiatrist trained in adult ADHD. For a diagnosis, NICE guidance (NG87, 2018) says symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity should meet the DSM-5 or ICD-11 criteria, cause at least moderate psychological, social, educational or occupational impairment, and occur in two or more important settings, such as home, work, study or social life — a single context (say, only at work) usually isn't enough on its own.
The private process is structurally similar but compressed. A typical full private assessment involves a screening step, a structured clinical interview with a psychologist — often using the DIVA-5, a validated diagnostic interview specifically designed for adult ADHD — and a separate appointment with a consultant psychiatrist, who reviews the findings, confirms (or rules out) the diagnosis, and can prescribe if appropriate. The end product either way is a formal diagnostic report. It's useful beyond the diagnosis itself. DARE, the college-entry scheme, accepts ADHD evidence from a consultant psychiatrist, psychologist, neurologist or paediatrician. A report also supports a request for workplace accommodations and any later transfer of prescribing. You don't need a diagnosis for accommodations in the Leaving Cert and other State exams: the SEC's RACE scheme is needs-based.
Key takeaway: In Ireland, a consultant psychiatrist or a suitably qualified psychologist (clinical, and many educational, psychologists) can diagnose adult ADHD. Starting medication needs a doctor, usually a consultant psychiatrist: a psychologist's report alone can't be used to get a prescription. A GP can refer you and may later agree to continue prescribing, but can't diagnose and treat ADHD independently. If you may want medication, check that a psychologist-led clinic works with a psychiatrist, or you may need a second assessment.
"The awareness is there but the service is not there to back it."
— Ken Kilbride, CEO, ADHD Ireland, Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health, 20234
Private assessment is faster but genuinely not simple to price, because clinics quote different pieces of the same process. ADHD Ireland puts private assessments at roughly €600–€1,600, and warns that a service can look cheaper than it is by splitting the process into separately priced steps, such as the interview, the feedback and the treatment discussion. TheJournal.ie reported in April 2026 that a private in-person assessment typically costs €1,000–€1,500 for an initial appointment of around two hours, with medication reviews afterwards costing €100–€200 for 10–25 minutes, and that online providers often charge slightly less.3 A low headline price advertised online may cover only the first step, so ask what is included right up to a diagnostic report. Under Ireland's Med 1 tax relief scheme, some of that cost — 20% of qualifying medical expenses — comes back at year end, though it doesn't reduce the upfront outlay.
Worth knowing before you book: the private ADHD assessment market in Ireland is not tightly regulated at the clinic level. Individual doctors are registered with the Medical Council, but oversight of clinics as businesses is thinner, and the rapid growth in this market since 2023–2024 has drawn public comment from the Medical Council itself about the gap between clinical oversight and business practice.3 That's not a reason to avoid private assessment — for many people it's the only realistic route to a diagnosis in a workable timeframe — but it's a reason to check who signs your report. That should be a consultant psychiatrist on the Medical Council's Specialist Register, or a clinical or educational psychologist (ADHD Ireland suggests checking PSI registration). If you may want medication, ask whether the clinic links to a psychiatrist. Make sure the full price (not just the advertised "from" price) is clear before you commit.
Getting the diagnosis isn't the end of the process — it's the start of an ongoing one. If stimulant medication is appropriate, it has to be initiated by a consultant psychiatrist, who will also arrange baseline cardiovascular checks (blood pressure, heart rate, sometimes an ECG) before starting and at intervals afterwards, since stimulant medication affects both. What medication costs depends on the drug and dose. With a Drugs Payment Scheme card, you or your family pay no more than €80 a month in total for approved prescription medicines, and there's no means test. Follow-up review appointments are a separate cost.
Here's the part that rarely makes it into a clinic's price list: once you're diagnosed and stabilised on medication, handing routine day-to-day prescribing back to your GP — so-called "shared care" — is standard practice, but it is voluntary on the GP's part, not an automatic or guaranteed handoff. Not every GP is willing to take on ADHD prescribing, and in some areas — reporting has specifically flagged this as an issue in Dublin — patients transitioning from child to adult services have been refused by GPs unwilling to continue stimulant prescriptions.2 That gap is a real, documented source of medication interruptions for people who have already been through the wait and the cost to get diagnosed in the first place. If shared care matters to you, it's worth asking about it explicitly during the assessment process — both which GPs in your area are known to accept ADHD shared-care patients, and what the clinic's own plan is if your GP declines.
A long wait isn't a reason to do nothing in the meantime:
None of this is a verdict on any one provider, public or private. It's just what the actual choice looks like right now: a public system that works, but not within a timeframe most people can plan around, and a private system that's faster but where the advertised price is rarely the full price — and where the paperwork doesn't end at diagnosis either way.
More on this: Is a Private ADHD Diagnosis Accepted in Ireland? · ADHD Medication for Adults in Ireland: A Practical Guide · HSE Outpatient Waiting Lists Explained
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, diagnostic, or treatment advice, and Proco does not currently provide ADHD assessment, diagnosis or treatment services. ADHD can only be formally diagnosed by a qualified clinician (in Ireland, a consultant psychiatrist or a suitably qualified psychologist) after a full clinical assessment. If you think you may have ADHD, speak with your GP about a referral to the HSE's adult ADHD service or a registered private provider — do not rely on this article, an online checklist, or a social media video in place of a professional assessment. If you are in crisis or at risk of harm, contact emergency services or a crisis line immediately.
Notes on sourcing: references 1–4 are the HSE's own published programme materials and independent journalistic reporting (TheJournal.ie, Medical Independent). The private cost range is from ADHD Ireland's guidance on choosing where to go for an ADHD assessment (2025). We did not use clinic websites as sources.
Want to know what's actually in what you take? Join the list — no spam, just it straight.