ADHD Diagnosis
Adults can be more difficult to diagnose than children. An interview with a clinical ADHD expert is the first step to an accurate diagnosis.
Bring any medical or academic records with you to your appointment. It's also beneficial to bring rating scales and interviews that can provide information about your symptoms.
Symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis involves a physical exam and a discussion with a medical professional. The examiner may inquire about a person's family history and childhood and utilize checklists to record symptoms. The evaluator will also review documents from the workplace and school, and may also want to speak with teachers or other people who are close to the person.
The evaluator will use the official lists of symptoms for inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity to determine whether the person meets diagnostic criteria. These criteria include that the person suffers from multiple symptoms that last for at least 6 months, and that the symptoms manifest in more than one place -- such as at home and at work or school. The evaluator may also be looking for other conditions that can cause similar symptoms, such as anxiety, depression or a thyroid issue.
Adults will be assessed to determine the severity of symptoms and their impact on their work or social lives. The evaluator might also ask the person what their feelings are about their symptoms and if they affect their daily life.
Many people with ADHD are unable to remember when their problems began. Because of this, a specialist will usually interview someone who is familiar with the person, such as a spouse or sibling for an adult or parents or teachers for children. The evaluator might use checklists to assess adults and a list of child-related behaviors.
Contrary to the previous guidelines for diagnosing the adult can't be diagnosed with ADHD until the symptoms have been identified prior to the age of 12. This change is meant to stop people who experienced ADHD as children from being misdiagnosed with other disorders like anxiety or depression.
Medical Histories
If you suspect that your or your child suffers from ADHD, the first step is to locate an expert who can provide a thorough evaluation. Consult your doctor or mental health expert in your area for recommendations, or look up the phone book by "psychiatry" and "psychology." You can also join an adult ADHD support group, since they may have worked with local specialists who are able to provide recommendations.
A healthcare professional will review the person's medical history as well as background information regarding the family during the ADHD diagnostic evaluation. They will ask about how the symptoms affect functioning in different settings, like at work, home, or in relationships. It is important to determine the severity of the symptoms, since the APA's guidelines for ADHD stipulate that the symptoms have to cause significant impairment in order to be considered a diagnosis.
The healthcare professional will speak with the patient, but they may also ask for information from parents or siblings as well as friends who know him. Some healthcare professionals may ask patients to complete questionnaires or fill out rating scales, including ADHD symptoms checklists and standardized behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers are often valuable sources of information as well.
assessment for adhd is essential to evaluate how the individual's symptoms affect with functioning in different situations, since the APA's diagnostic guidelines note that symptoms have to occur frequently and affect performance. This is crucial because other disorders, such as mood disorders and learning disabilities, may be similar to ADHD (Austerman, 2015). Additionally medical exams can be performed to identify other causes that could be causing the symptoms, including thyroid issues, vision or hearing problems or the use of certain medications such as stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In certain cases the presence of ADHD in the family could be a major factor making a diagnosis. It is a hereditary condition, and a thorough review of the patient's and relatives histories can help determine if there is a familial pattern.
It is important that providers have a complete understanding of the symptoms of their patients, including whether or not they occur at work, in school or in social situations. A doctor must also determine the degree of how a patient's symptoms affect their daily functioning. This is a more reliable method than simply examining symptom counts or examining the patient's intelligence.
For teens and children, a doctor may interview the child or teen as well as his or her parents. In most cases, a pediatrician or psychiatrist is trained to evaluate and treatment of ADHD. For adults, a thorough interview is required by a mental health specialist who has extensive experience with ADHD and has the time to carefully evaluate the individual's symptoms.
A thorough assessment includes a physical exam, which can help rule out certain conditions that can cause symptoms similar to ADHD. A complete medical record is also a must. This can include medical and school documents as well as a psychologist or school counselor's psychological evaluation. Old school records can be helpful to adults to determine whether symptoms started in the early years of childhood.
When diagnosing adults in particular, it is crucial to determine if the symptoms interfere with everyday functioning. A thorough psychiatric evaluation may be required, which may include scoring scales and questions asked by caregivers and patients, as well as a clinical interview and referral for a medical examination. Additionally, psychometric or neuropsychological assessment can be used in adult cases to determine if the symptoms are related to learning disorders and other cognitive impairments.
Interviews
A healthcare professional will ask you or your child questions about their issues at school, home and in the community. The provider will also inquire about your or your child's previous medical, family and personal history and will review any documents you may bring with you like old school report cards. This information will help the doctor to determine whether you or your child should to take an assessment for ADHD.
Your provider will use rating scales to identify if you or your child meets criteria for ADHD, including six established symptoms in the two main categories of the disorder -- inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. These ratings are usually taken over the course of six months and include both school and home. The evaluations must be conducted by people who are familiar with your your child's behaviors like teachers as well as religious and scout leaders, coaches and parents.
To be diagnosed with ADHD, children and adults must exhibit behavior that is debilitating and interferes with everyday functioning in a variety of environments, including school, at work, or at play. Symptoms should start in early childhood, typically before the age of 12. They aren't caused by another mental health problem.
Psychometric and neuropsychological tests that measure IQ, brain function and cognitive functioning can increase the accuracy and precision of ADHD assessments. They should be used in conjunction with a physician's assessment and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment strategy. These tests could include the administration of a standardized questionnaire like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA), or an adaptive test that is computerized that measures the speed of response short-term memory, executive functions. In the future digital technology, such as virtual reality and head motion sensors for continuous performance tests can help improve the validity of ecological tests by giving people the opportunity to immerse into their surroundings instead of being in a clinic.
Tests
If your doctor or mental health professional suspects ADHD they may refer you to an ADHD specialist. A thorough assessment should include a comprehensive interview, information from independent sources such as your spouse or significant other, and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. Depending on the clinical impression the evaluator might conduct tests to test for other conditions that could have an impact on your symptoms, including depression, learning disabilities, or a medical illness.
In order to conduct an accurate ADHD evaluation, the evaluator must determine whether your symptoms significantly impact your life and performance. The impairment could occur in many different settings, such as at home at work, at school, or with your social interactions. The evaluator should ask what the impact of your condition has been on you in each situation. This will assist the evaluator determine a diagnosis and formulate treatment recommendations.
In addition to the symptom ratings The complete assessment will typically include one or more performance tests that are standard for ADHD. These testing instruments are based on research that compares the behavior of people with ADHD to those without it. They enhance the effectiveness of the clinical interview by focusing on specific behavior rather than a person's overall performance. These tests can also help assessors determine if an individual is being disingenuous or is trying to cheat the test this issue has been recognized for a number of years in the field of neuropsychological testing.
assessment of adhd will include an examination of the brain or other neuroimaging tests in addition to the standard test and symptom rating scales. These tests aren't used in clinical settings since they are costly and expose patients to ionizing radioactivity.