ADHD diagnosis in Poland

You have been meaning to book this for two years. A colleague mentioned ADHD, then a podcast, then the thing where you reread the same paragraph six times. So you search for an assessment in Warsaw and every useful page is in Polish, every clinic lists a phone number, and you have no idea whether the person answering will speak English or whether any of this is covered by the insurance you pay for through ZUS.

This guide is for you. It covers how an adult ADHD assessment actually works in Poland, what it costs, what happens with medication, and what to do if you were already diagnosed in another country.

On this page

• Who can diagnose ADHD in Poland
• What the assessment involves
• Public or private
• Medication, and the part nobody warns you about
• If you were diagnosed abroad
• What gets missed, and in whom
• Doing it in English in Warsaw
• ADHD assessment at Holisens
• Frequently asked questions

Who can diagnose ADHD in Poland

The final clinical diagnosis is made by a psychiatrist. That part is not negotiable, and it matters, because only a doctor can also prescribe.

In practice the work is usually split. A psychologist conducts the structured diagnostic interview and writes an opinion, then a psychiatrist reviews it, rules out the conditions that imitate ADHD, and makes the call. Some psychiatrists do the whole thing themselves. Both routes are legitimate.

What should make you cautious is the opposite: a single thirty minute appointment that ends with a prescription, or an online questionnaire sold as a diagnosis. Adult ADHD overlaps with anxiety, depression, trauma, sleep disorders and thyroid problems, and telling them apart is most of the work.

What the assessment involves

The clinical path is the same publicly and privately. The waiting time, the cost and the language are what differ.

The core of an adult assessment in Poland is a structured interview, most often DIVA-5, which walks through each diagnostic criterion twice: how it shows up now, and how it showed up before you were twelve.

That second half surprises people. ADHD is a developmental condition, so evidence from childhood is required. You will be asked for concrete examples rather than impressions, and this is the moment where old school reports, or a phone call with a parent or older sibling, genuinely help. If your family is abroad or not available, say so early. It makes the assessment harder, not impossible.

Expect questionnaires alongside the interview, often ASRS as a screener, sometimes attention or executive function tasks. None of these diagnose anything on their own. There is no blood test and no brain scan that establishes ADHD, and any clinic implying otherwise is selling something.

Most assessments take three to four sessions spread over a few weeks.

Public or private

Both routes exist and the clinical standard is the same. The differences are practical.

If you hold Polish public insurance, the public route costs nothing and is worth starting even if you also go private, because the waiting list keeps running in the background. What stops most foreigners is language, and not for convenience reasons. A diagnostic interview asks you to describe attention, impulsivity and shame in precise terms. Doing that in your third language, to a stranger, tends to flatten the very details the assessment depends on.

Medication, and the part nobody warns you about

Poland reimburses ADHD medication for children and adolescents up to the age of 18. For adults it does not. The Ministry of Health has stated that it is not working on extending reimbursement to people first diagnosed in adulthood, and has pointed to concerns about overdiagnosis when explaining that position.

In practice this means an adult here pays the full price, commonly a few hundred zloty a month, indefinitely. Methylphenidate is the usual first line, with atomoxetine and guanfacine used further down. Availability of specific brands moves around, so this is worth asking about at the point of prescribing rather than assuming.

None of this makes treatment pointless. It does mean the cost conversation belongs in your first appointment, not six months in.

If you were diagnosed abroad

A foreign diagnosis is evidence a Polish doctor will take seriously. It is not automatically a Polish prescription.

This is the situation we hear about most often, and the one with the least information available in English.

Start with the prescription problem, because it is the one with a hard rule behind it. The EU cross-border prescription scheme, the one that lets you fill a prescription from one member state in another, excludes controlled substances. ADHD stimulants fall into that category in Poland. So a valid prescription from Berlin, Dublin or Madrid will not be dispensed by a Polish pharmacy, no matter how recent it is.

Carrying medication across borders is a separate matter again. For psychotropic medication within the Schengen area you need a certificate issued in your country of residence, and it is worth sorting out before you travel rather than at the airport.

What a Polish psychiatrist does with your existing diagnosis varies. Most will read the documentation and take it seriously, particularly a full assessment report with the criteria and the clinician credentials on it. Many will still want to form their own clinical picture before prescribing, since it is their signature on a controlled substance. How much gets repeated depends on the doctor and on how thorough your original report is, which is why bringing the full report rather than the summary letter is worth the effort.

If your documentation is in English, that is usually fine privately. In the public system a certified translation may be requested.

Assessment sessions are conversations, not tests at a desk.

What gets missed, and in whom

Adults often arrive apologising for wasting anyone’s time, because they did fine at school and hold down a demanding job. Doing well academically does not rule ADHD out. Intelligence, a structured upbringing or sheer effort can mask it for decades, and the bill usually arrives when external structure disappears: a move abroad, remote work, a promotion into management, a first child.

Women and girls are diagnosed later and less often. The stereotype of ADHD was built on hyperactive boys, while inattentive presentation, which is more common in women, looks like disorganisation, forgetfulness and a constant private sense of falling behind. Plenty of women reach a psychiatrist through anxiety or depression first and get the ADHD question asked years later.

Being an immigrant adds its own layer. Finding a new country administratively exhausting is not a symptom. Then again, if paperwork, deadlines and appointments were difficult in your first language too, that is worth saying out loud during the assessment.

Doing it in English in Warsaw

Very little of the adult ADHD pathway is available in English inside the public system. Privately it is realistic, but the specific thing you need is a psychiatrist who works in English, because that is where the diagnosis and any prescription come from. An English-speaking psychologist alone can complete the assessment, but not close it.

Before you book anywhere, three questions are worth asking:

• Is the psychiatrist, not only the psychologist, available in English
• What exactly is included, how many sessions, and what the full cost is before you start
• What happens after a diagnosis, whether follow-up appointments and prescriptions are available on an ongoing basis

That last point catches people out. A diagnosis without a doctor to keep prescribing afterwards leaves you in the same place three months later.

ADHD assessment at Holisens

We run two practices in Warsaw, in Ochota and Wilanów, and we work online. Psychiatric appointments in English are available with Weronika Zielińska, and several members of the team work with English-speaking clients, listed on our English-speaking specialists page. Details of our adult ADHD assessment and our current rates are on the site.

If you are new to Warsaw more generally, we also wrote a guide to mental health care in Warsaw for foreigners, covering the public system, insurance and what to do in a crisis.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get an ADHD diagnosis in English in Poland?

Privately, yes. You need a psychiatrist who works in English, since the final diagnosis and any prescription come from a doctor. Inside the public NFZ system the assessment is conducted in Polish in almost all cases.

Do I need a referral for an ADHD assessment in Poland?

You do not need a referral to see a psychiatrist, publicly or privately. You do need one from a primary care doctor to enter the publicly funded assessment pathway, and for publicly funded psychotherapy.

How long does an adult ADHD assessment take?

The assessment itself is usually three to four sessions over a few weeks. Privately you can normally start within days or weeks. In the public system the wait before you start is commonly counted in months.

What is DIVA-5?

DIVA-5 is a structured diagnostic interview for ADHD in adults, built around the DSM-5 criteria. It covers each symptom twice, in adult life and in childhood. It is a part of the assessment, not a diagnosis by itself.

Why does childhood evidence matter?

ADHD is a developmental condition, so the criteria require symptoms to have been present before the age of twelve. School reports or a conversation with a parent or sibling help. If your family is not available, tell the clinician at the start.

Is ADHD medication reimbursed in Poland?

It is reimbursed for children and adolescents up to 18. Adults pay the full price, commonly a few hundred zloty per month. The Ministry of Health has said it is not working on reimbursement for people first diagnosed in adulthood.

Can I use a prescription from another EU country in Poland?

Not for ADHD stimulants. EU cross-border prescriptions exclude controlled substances, and ADHD stimulants fall into that category in Poland. You will need a prescription issued by a doctor in Poland.

Will a Polish psychiatrist accept my diagnosis from abroad?

Most will read foreign documentation and take it seriously, especially a full assessment report showing the criteria used and the clinician credentials. Many will still form their own clinical picture before prescribing. How much is repeated varies by doctor.

Can I bring my ADHD medication into Poland?

Psychotropic medication carried within the Schengen area requires a certificate issued in your country of residence. Arrange it before travelling rather than at the airport.

Can ADHD be diagnosed online?

Sessions can be held by video and this works for much of the interview. A questionnaire alone is never a diagnosis. Be wary of any service offering a diagnosis or a prescription after a single short appointment.

I did well at school. Can I still have ADHD?

Yes. Academic success does not rule ADHD out. Intelligence, structure at home and effort can mask it for years, and difficulties often surface when external structure falls away, for example after a move abroad, a switch to remote work or a first child.

Sources

• Diagnostyka i postępowanie terapeutyczne u dorosłych z ADHD, recommendations of the Polish Psychiatric Association section and a coalition of ADHD organisations, 2024
• Ministry of Health statements on reimbursement of ADHD medication for adults, reported by mgr.farm and rynekzdrowia.pl
• Reimbursement lists for methylphenidate, atomoxetine and guanfacine, Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System (AOTMiT)
• Cross-border prescriptions and excluded categories of medicines, pacjent.gov.pl and gov.pl
• Rules on carrying psychotropic medication within the Schengen area
• DIVA-5, Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults, DIVA Foundation
• Rules on referrals in the Polish public health system, National Health Fund (NFZ)
• Absence of funding for pharmacotherapy for adults with ADHD in Poland, The Lancet Psychiatry, 2024

Written by the team at Holisens, a psychology and psychiatry practice in Warsaw. This article is general information about how the Polish system works and is not medical advice or a substitute for an assessment. Rules on reimbursement and prescriptions change, so confirm current details with your clinician or pharmacy. Last updated: 16 September 2026.