Table 1.

Impairment/Distress Item from the Inattention Section of the Assessment of Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AAA)

Questions- You’ve told me that [CITE EXAMPLES OF CONCENTRATION DIFFICULTIES, DISTRACTIBILITY, SHORT ATTENTION SPAN, ETC.]. Have they led to any difficulties at home, at work, or with other people? How have they affected your life? For example, have these behaviors diminished your performance at work, or interfered with doing things at home, or affected your relationships with friends? Has that been a big problem for you, or bothered you? How would your life have been different without [___]?
Rating	Descriptor	Definition
1	None	Symptom never a problem since last interview.
2	Mild	Somewhat of a problem at times, but does not significantly interfere with functioning, or cause clinically significant distress.
3	Moderate	Definitely a problem at times; or somewhat of a problem on numerous occasions, with some interference in functioning or clinically significant distress.
4	Severe	Definitely a problem on many occasions; or the symptom significantly limited the subject’s functioning; or the subject was considerably distressed by the symptom.
5	Extreme	Symptom characterizes functioning and is a major problem.

Note. The identical definitions are used for Impulsivity and Hyperactivity items.