What you will be asked
Insurers usually want the date and source of your diagnosis, whether from a psychiatrist, an NHS clinic or a private assessment. They ask what medication you take, such as methylphenidate or lisdexamfetamine, how long you have been on it and whether the dose has been stable.
The questions then widen to your general mental health. Many people with ADHD also live with anxiety or low mood, and the underwriter will ask about any treatment, counselling or time off for those. Each condition is weighed on its own facts.
- Date and source of diagnosis
- Current medication and dose
- Any anxiety, depression or other conditions
- Time off work or hospital admissions
- Alcohol and recreational drug use
Why the wider picture matters
ADHD by itself is not something insurers link to a shorter life. What they consider is anything that sometimes comes with it. Heavy drinking, drug use, dangerous hobbies or a poor driving record can raise the chance of a claim, so those answers carry real weight.
If none of those apply and you are settled in work and daily life, the underwriter usually has little reason to change the price. A steady job, a stable dose of medication and regular reviews with your prescriber all point the same way.
Driving history can come up too. Some insurers ask about driving convictions or bans, and ADHD is a condition the DVLA asks drivers to report if it affects their driving. Answer any driving question accurately, and say if you have told the DVLA and kept your licence.
Possible outcomes
Many adults with ADHD and no other significant conditions are offered standard life cover. If you also have a mental health condition, the insurer looks at how severe it is and how recent any episodes were, which could lead to a loading in some cases or a short postponement after a difficult period.
Income protection can be stricter. If you have had time off for mental health reasons, an insurer may add a mental health exclusion. Critical illness cover is often unaffected because ADHD is not one of the listed illnesses, though any related conditions are still assessed.
Honest answers protect the policy
Your ADHD diagnosis and prescriptions will be in your medical records. Declaring them is simple, and leaving them out could give an insurer grounds to refuse a claim later, which is exactly when your family would need the money.
If you are on a waiting list for an assessment, mention it if the form asks about referrals. Being on a list is not a diagnosis, and insurers handle it in different ways. Some will offer terms straight away, while others prefer to wait for the outcome.
How Hi Tomorrow helps with ADHD
Long forms with lots of detail can be hard going with ADHD. We can go through the questions with you in short steps, keep notes as we go and fill in the gaps before anything reaches an insurer. You check the final answers before they are sent.
We compare insurers on our panel to find those that assess ADHD and any related conditions fairly. If an exclusion is offered on income protection, we explain what it means in practice and whether another insurer might offer better wording.