STAR-01 Adult ADHD Self-Report Questionnaire

 I have created the STAR-01 adult ADHD self-report questionnaire that would be an essential tool in the assessment and treatment of ADHD in adults. The STAR-01 provides a structured way for clients/patients to reflect on their experiences, and for therapists to gain insights that guide effective interventions. By using this questionnaire, both clients and therapists can work together to address the specific challenges of ADHD and improve overall well-being.

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So, what makes the STAR-01 different from other assessment questionnaires? The answer is simple: It’s grounded in real, lived experiences of adult ADHD symptoms, reported and validated by those who experience them. As someone with adult ADHD, I’ve experienced 90% of these symptoms at various stages of my life, so this questionnaire reflects what it’s really like.

Disclaimer: Context Matters: It's important to remember that context, such as recent life changes, stress levels, and hormonal fluctuations, can influence the answers.

This ADHD questionnaire is only as effective as the honesty and self-awareness you bring to it. To get the most accurate results, it’s crucial that you reflect deeply on your experiences and how you truly feel. Keep in mind that stress can amplify or heighten your ADHD symptoms, making it even more important to answer these questions thoughtfully.

It’s important to understand that ADHD symptoms do not suddenly appear for the first time in adulthood. If you’re only now recognizing the signs, it could be for one of the following reasons:

1. Lack of Self-Awareness: You may not have been fully aware of your own actions or behaviors in the past. Without this self-awareness, it’s easy to overlook the signs of ADHD that have been present all along.

2. Normalization of Struggles: You might not have realized that the challenges you face are not common to everyone. When you assume that everyone struggles in the same way, it’s harder to recognize that your difficulties could be linked to ADHD.

3. Denial and Defense Mechanisms: You may have developed a strong defense mechanism that denies the possibility of anything being wrong. This can stem from a refusal to accept that you might have a condition like ADHD, which can lead to ignoring or rationalizing away the symptoms.

4. You don't have ADHD but you are somehow trying to convince yourself you do. 

Reports of exaggerated symptoms by doctors are common, but I’m not convinced that anyone can accurately make that determination, especially when medical professionals don’t know their patients well enough. As someone with adult ADHD, I understand the frustration and anxiety that can overwhelm you when discussing ADHD with a doctor. Personally, my blood pressure spikes, anxiety takes over, and I’m gripped by the fear of being dismissed or rejected yet again.

I can see why mental health professionals might assume we’re exaggerating, but I believe they’re missing a crucial point: We feel things more intensely. It means more to us. We need to be believed, so our tone might get louder, and our emotions more pronounced. And then there’s a very telling feature of ADHD—our tendency to overshare and oversell our experiences.

Why do we do this? It’s because we’ve been holding in these feelings, often with no one to confide in. When we finally get the chance to talk, we talk too much, give too many details, and that’s a reality that mental health professionals don’t always take into consideration. What might seem like exaggeration is often just the result of years of repression and a desperate need to be heard and understood.

Exaggeration in the context of ADHD occurs when the severity or frequency of symptoms is overstated, often without realizing it. For example, if you forget your purse or wallet once every two months due to being rushed, but when asked how often you forget something at home, you answer with “a lot of the time” or “most of the time,” that response could be seen as an exaggeration. Similarly, if you make a careless mistake once or twice a month, it doesn't mean you have a significant problem with making careless mistakes.

For someone with ADHD, these issues are not occasional; they are frequent and pervasive, to the point where they interfere with daily life. I’m not talking about forgetting where you put something every now and then—I’m talking about forgetting things consistently, almost every day. It's not just the occasional slip; it's a pattern that persists and disrupts your life.

The key is that ADHD symptoms are not “every now and again”—they’re an extreme, persistent issue. For instance:

• I always make careless mistakes.
• I always forget where I put something.
• I always forget details in every conversation.

When I say "always," I mean nearly every single day, or at least a couple of times a week, and this pattern has continued for years—often for as long as 30 years or more.

By being open and honest with yourself as you complete this questionnaire, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of whether ADHD might be impacting your life. Remember, the goal here is to get closer to understanding yourself better, not to judge or criticize.

 For women, ADHD can exacerbate certain symptoms, particularly around your menstrual cycle. You might experience severe mood swings, isolation, oversleeping, irritability, and increased hunger before and during your period, causing your ADHD symptoms to flare up. This can lead to more intense struggles compared to women without ADHD. In fact, ADHD often mimics PMDD during this time, and this pattern doesn't start in adulthood—it often begins during puberty.

the statement you made is generally accurate and reflects observations reported by many women with ADHD, though it should be noted that individual experiences may vary.

1. ADHD and Hormonal Fluctuations: Women with ADHD often report that their symptoms can worsen or become more pronounced during certain times in their menstrual cycle, particularly in the premenstrual phase. Hormonal changes related to estrogen and progesterone levels can exacerbate ADHD symptoms, leading to increased emotional dysregulation, irritability, and other related challenges.

2. Similarities to PMDD: The overlap between ADHD symptoms and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is also commonly noted. PMDD is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that includes emotional and physical symptoms like those you mentioned—mood swings, irritability, and more. For women with ADHD, these symptoms can be more intense, and the experience can indeed resemble PMDD, though the root cause is different.

3. Early Onset: It’s also accurate that these patterns often do not begin in adulthood but can start as early as puberty. Hormonal changes during puberty can heighten ADHD symptoms, which might go unnoticed or be misattributed to other causes until later in life.

The STAR-01 questionnaire is designed to capture these realities, offering a more accurate assessment for those with adult ADHD, particularly women, who may experience these symptoms differently and more intensely