Your first adult ADHD appointment in New Jersey: what to bring

A first adult ADHD appointment is mostly a careful conversation about your life, then and now. What you bring decides how much the clinician can conclude in that conversation. You do not need to rehearse symptoms. You need evidence the clinician cannot get any other way: what you were like as a child, what medications you have taken, what your records say, and what else is going on with your health. This page is the New Jersey version of that checklist, with the state rules that affect it as of October 2026.

Start gathering two to three weeks ahead if you can. Records requests and conversations with family take longer than most people expect.

The checklist

Why childhood evidence carries so much weight

The National Institute of Mental Health notes that ADHD can be diagnosed in adulthood, but adults must have shown symptoms starting before age 12. That is why, in NIMH's words, an adult diagnosis relies heavily on past reports of behavior. Old report cards, especially the teacher comments, are often the most useful single document. Ask a parent or older relative what teachers said, whether homework was a nightly struggle, and whether you lost things, interrupted or drifted off in class. Specific stories are more useful than general impressions.

CHADD describes an evaluation that gathers information from multiple sources: symptom checklists, standardized rating scales, a detailed history of past and current functioning, and information from family members. It adds that patients often receive rating scales to complete themselves and for a loved one or significant other to complete. If someone close to you is willing, ask them in advance.

Many adults have none of the childhood paperwork. That does not rule out an evaluation. See getting evaluated for ADHD without childhood records. If you want a sense of what clinicians ask about before you go, the adult ADHD self-test uses a standard screening questionnaire. A screener is not a diagnosis.

Getting your records from New Jersey clinicians

Under N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.5, a New Jersey physician must provide a copy of your record within 30 days of a request from you or your authorized representative. The copying charge can be no more than $1.00 a page or $100 for the entire record, whichever is less, and up to $10 more for postage and miscellaneous costs on records under 10 pages. The physician may choose to provide a summary instead, as long as it adequately reflects your history and treatment and costs no more than copies would.

Make the request in writing and name the practice the copies should go to. If your past care was in another state, that state's rules apply to those records. More on transfers is in switching ADHD psychiatrists in New Jersey.

Health information worth writing down

CHADD notes that people being evaluated for ADHD should also have a medical examination, because thyroid problems and seizure conditions can cause symptoms that resemble ADHD. Write down any diagnoses, recent blood work, and your heart and blood pressure history, including any family history of heart problems. If stimulant medication is considered, cardiovascular questions come up; see ADHD medication, heart and blood pressure safety.

Be honest about sleep, alcohol, cannabis and any other substance use. These affect attention, and they affect which treatment is safe. Clinicians ask because the answers change the plan, not to judge.

The NJPMP: what happens and what you need to do

Under N.J.A.C. 13:35-7.6(b), a practitioner starting any controlled dangerous substance must take a thorough history, examine you, make a reasonable effort to obtain your records, access and consider your New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program (NJPMP) data, and write a treatment plan.

The rule puts this duty on the prescriber. Nothing in it asks the patient to arrange the check or bring anything for it. What helps is telling the clinician about every controlled medication you have filled, in any state, so nothing in the database comes as a surprise. More is in the New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program and ADHD.

Where you will be during the visit

For a video visit with Dr. Shershow, you must be physically in New Jersey or New York at the time, because licensure follows the patient's location. Pick a private room with a reliable connection, have your documents beside you, and tell the clinician where you are at the start.

If you are located in New Jersey and a Schedule II stimulant is prescribed after a telehealth start, P.L.2026, c.40 (effective July 8, 2026) requires an in-person visit within 30 days, a contact at least every three months (in person or by real-time two-way audio and video), and an in-person visit at least once a year. The office will explain how visits are arranged for patients located in New Jersey. Details are in telehealth ADHD prescriptions in New Jersey and on the appointments and telehealth page.

What the evaluation covers

Dr. Shershow's adult ADHD evaluation covers your current symptoms; childhood, school and work history; health, including medical history, medications, sleep and substances; and other explanations such as anxiety, depression, sleep problems or stress, which can occur instead of or alongside ADHD. It ends with what the evaluation found and the treatment options that fit. No evaluation guarantees a diagnosis or a particular medication.

If medication is prescribed

Two New Jersey rules are worth knowing before you leave. A Schedule II prescription is limited to a 30-day supply, but a physician may issue multiple prescriptions covering up to 90 days, each after the first stating the earliest date a pharmacy may fill it. And Schedule II prescriptions cannot be refilled under federal law; each fill needs its own prescription. This guide did not find a New Jersey law requiring photo ID to pick up a Schedule II prescription as of October 2026, but carry ID and ask your pharmacy what it requires. If you are new to the state, see moving to New Jersey on ADHD medication.

New patients can find the next steps on the new patients page, call the office, or use the call-back form.