Online or in person? Choosing the right ADHD assessment for you

We run two formats of ADHD assessment at LoveMyLife. The online assessment is £395 and the in-person assessment at our Westfield clinic is £595. Both include the same structured clinical interview, the same diagnostic report, and the first month of your medication if the clinician prescribes. The difference is the experience, not the diagnosis.

This article is an honest guide to which format suits which kind of person, so you do not overspend on an in-person visit you did not need, and so you do not underspend on an online visit that was always going to leave you wanting more time.

What happens in both formats

Before the appointment, you complete a structured online questionnaire based on the DIVA-5 diagnostic interview. It asks about current symptoms and the same symptoms as they appeared in your childhood. This takes most people about thirty to forty minutes. You can save and resume.

Your GP reviews your questionnaire before the appointment. The consultation itself is used to discuss the responses, ask clarifying questions, explore anything the questionnaire flagged, and make a clinical decision about diagnosis. If the answer is yes, the clinician will also discuss medication options and issue a private prescription on the spot if you are ready to start. If the answer is no, they will explain why and suggest what may be going on instead.

You receive a full written diagnostic report within five working days. If you are diagnosed and prescribed, your first month of medication is either dispensed to you at the Westfield clinic (in-person route) or delivered same-day by our pharmacy (online route).

When online is the right choice

Most of our patients choose online. It is half an hour in front of a video call from wherever you are, followed by a private prescription and your medication arriving the next morning.

Pick online if:

You have a clear picture of your symptoms and are comfortable articulating them in a thirty-minute conversation.

You have already done some self-reflection, perhaps after a family member's diagnosis, and you are not expecting the conversation to surface brand-new insights.

You prefer not to take half a day out of work.

You live outside central London and do not want to travel.

You have previous assessments or school reports that you can upload to the case file in advance.

When in-person is worth the extra

The in-person consultation is sixty minutes and costs £200 more. That extra time, plus the fact that the doctor dispenses your medication directly at the end of the visit, is worth it in specific circumstances.

Pick in-person if:

You find it hard to stay focused on a video call, which is worth noting because that is often part of the picture being assessed.

Your symptoms are complex, for example because of a lot of co-existing anxiety or depression, a probable autism overlap, or previous assessments that disagreed with each other.

You would find it easier to discuss sensitive personal history, trauma, or family context face to face rather than on a screen.

You want your medication in hand the same day. In-person patients leave the clinic with their first month of medication dispensed directly by the doctor during the visit.

You want to meet the clinical team and see the clinic in person before committing to ongoing care.

What you get either way

Whatever format you pick, you get the same three things. First, a full DIVA-5 structured interview covering all DSM-5 criteria in both adult and childhood. Second, a written diagnostic report that meets shared-care-request standards and can be used to request NHS prescribing under a shared care agreement. Third, if relevant, a treatment plan with medication started the same day.

The clinician is on our regular team and will be one of the people looking after you if you go on to ongoing care with us.

What you can change your mind about

If you book online and during the consultation the clinician or you decide that an in-person review would be more useful, we upgrade the booking and you pay the difference. We will not waste the online consultation; the clinician's notes carry over.

If you book in-person but a scheduling problem means online is easier, we downgrade and refund the difference.

No hidden fees, no friction, no surprise charges.

The quick answer

If you are not sure, start online. Most people do. If during the consultation the clinician thinks an in-person appointment would add value, they will say so, and you can decide then whether to upgrade.

Ready to start?

If this article has made you think it is time to find out, the next step is a short consultation with one of our ADHD-trained GPs.

Begin your consultation at this link. Online in 30 minutes, or in person at Westfield London.