ADHD Diagnosis
Diagnosing ADHD in adults can be trickier than diagnosing ADHD in children. A good diagnosis starts with a clinical interview by an expert in ADHD.
You should bring any medical or academic records to your appointment. It's also helpful to bring rating scales and interview transcripts that provide information about your health issues.
Signs and symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis requires a physical exam and an interview with a doctor. The evaluator will inquire about the person's life and childhood, and may employ checklists to document the symptoms of the individual. The evaluator may also review the person's school and work documents, and may want to talk with teachers or others who interact with them.
The evaluator will use the official lists of symptoms for inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity to determine whether the person meets diagnostic criteria. The criteria include that the person must have experienced multiple symptoms for at least six months and occur in multiple settings, like at school or at home. The evaluator may also check for other conditions that could cause similar symptoms, such as depression or anxiety.
Adults will be evaluated to determine the severity of their symptoms and their impact on social or work life. The evaluator will also ask how the person feels about his or her symptoms and how much they impact daily life.
Many people suffering from ADHD are unable to recall the time when their issues began. This is why an expert will typically interview someone who is familiar with the person for example, a spouse or sibling for an adult or an educator or parent for a child. The examiner can use checklists to examine adults and a list of behaviors for children.
Unlike in the past, the current guidelines for diagnosing ADHD stipulate that an adult cannot be diagnosed with ADHD when symptoms were evident before the age of 12. This change is meant to stop people who experienced ADHD as children from being misdiagnosed as having other disorders, such as depression or anxiety.
Medical History
If you suspect your child or yourself suffer from ADHD The first step should be to seek out an expert who can perform a thorough evaluation. Consult your physician or an experienced local mental health expert for recommendations, or search the phone book for "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also contact a support group for adults with ADHD because many of them have worked with local experts who can provide referrals.
During the ADHD diagnostic assessment, a healthcare professional will review the person's medical and family history. They will ask about the impact of the symptoms on functioning in different environments, like at work, home, or in relationships. It is important to assess how severe the symptoms are in light of the APA's diagnostic guidelines for ADHD state that the symptoms have to cause significant impairment in order to be diagnosed.
cheap adhd assessment will generally interview the patient, but they may also talk to his or her parents, siblings, and other family members who know him well. Some professionals will have people complete questionnaires or fill out rating scales, including ADHD symptom checklists and standardized behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers are valuable sources of information, too.
The APA's Diagnostic Guidelines state that symptoms should be frequent and affect performance. This is important because other disorders like mood disorders and learning disabilities, may be similar to ADHD (Austerman 2015). A medical examination can be conducted to determine if there are other possible causes for the symptoms. These include thyroid problems, vision or hearing issues, or medications like stimulants and sedatives.
Family History
In certain cases there is an ancestor's history of ADHD is a major element in determining if you have the diagnosis. It is a highly heritable condition, and a careful examination of the patient's and his or her relatives history can help determine the presence of a genetic pattern.
It is essential that doctors have a complete picture of the symptoms of their patients, including whether or not they are present in work, school or in social settings. A healthcare professional must also consider the degree to which a person's symptoms hinder their everyday functioning. This is a more accurate measure than simply looking at the number of symptoms or examining the patient's intelligence.
A doctor may conduct an interview with a child or teen, as well as their parents. In many instances, a pediatrician or psychiatrist specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. For adults, a detailed interview is required by a mental health specialist who has extensive experience with ADHD and is able to evaluate each patient's presentation.
A comprehensive evaluation usually includes a physical exam, that can rule out certain health conditions that may cause similar symptoms to ADHD. A complete medical history is also taken. This can include medical and school records as along with a psychologist's or school counselor's psychological assessment. School records from the past can be helpful to adults to determine whether symptoms started in childhood.
In the case of diagnosing adults, it is especially important to determine if the symptoms interfere with daily functioning. A thorough psychiatric evaluation might be required, which may include scoring scales and questions asked by caregivers and patients in addition to a clinical interview and referral for medical examination. Adults may also undergo a neuropsychological or psychometric assessment to determine the relationship between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A professional will talk to you or your child regarding their issues at home, at school and in the community. The doctor will also inquire about your or your child's past medical or personal history, including family and friends and will look over any records you may bring with you including old school report cards. This information will help the provider decide if you or your child should take a test for diagnosing 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. The ratings are typically conducted over a six-month period, and cover both at the school and at home. The evaluations must be conducted by people who are familiar with your your child's behaviors like teachers and religious leaders, scout and Scout leaders, coaches, and parents.
To be diagnosed with ADHD adults and children must exhibit behavior that is debilitating and interferes with daily functioning in multiple situations, like at school, work or play. The symptoms should manifest in the early years of childhood, usually before 12 years of age. They aren't caused by a mental health condition.
The sensitivity and specificity in ADHD evaluations can be improved by using neuropsychological and psychometric tests that test IQ and cognitive function. They should be utilized in conjunction with a physician's interview and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment plan. These assessments could involve the administration of a standardized questionnaire, such as the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA) or a computer-based adaptive testing method that measures response speed short-term memory, executive functions. In the near future, technology that is digital, such as virtual reality and head movement sensors for continuous performance tests could help improve the ecological validity by permitting people to immerse themselves into their surroundings instead of sitting in a clinic office.
Tests
If your physician or mental healthcare professional suspects ADHD they might recommend you to an ADHD specialist. A thorough assessment will consist of an in-depth interview, information from other sources such as your spouse or significant others, as well as standardized behavior ratings scales for ADHD. The evaluator will conduct tests in accordance with the clinical impression to check for any conditions that may be affecting your symptoms. These include depression as well as learning disabilities or a medical condition.
To conduct a thorough ADHD assessment, the evaluator must determine if your symptoms have a significant impact on your life and functioning. The impairment can occur in a variety of settings such as at home at work, at school, or even in your social relationships. The evaluator should ask what the impact of your condition has been on your life in each of these settings. This will assist the evaluator identify the cause and make treatment recommendations.
In addition to the symptom ratings, a complete assessment typically includes one or more standardized performance test for ADHD. These testing instruments are based on research that compares the behavior of people suffering from ADHD to those without it. These instruments can help overcome the limitations of a traditional clinical interview by focusing more on specific behavior rather than an individual's overall functioning. These measures can assist assessors identify when a person is lying or attempting to cheat a test. This problem has been recognized by experts in the field for many years.
In addition to the standardized test and symptom rating scales, a thorough ADHD assessment should include brain scans and other neurological imaging procedures. However, these tests are not often used in a clinic setting due to the expense and expose the patient to radiation.