ADHD Diagnosis
The process of diagnosing ADHD in adults can be trickier than diagnosing ADHD in children. A reliable diagnosis begins with a thorough interview conducted by an expert in ADHD.
Bring any medical or academic records with you to your appointment. You can also bring questionnaires or rating scales that give details about your symptoms.
Signs and symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis involves a physical exam and an interview with a doctor. The evaluator may inquire about a person's childhood and their family history and utilize checklists to record symptoms. The evaluator will also review the records of work and school and may also want to speak with teachers or other individuals who spend time with the person.
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 had several symptoms for atleast six months and that they occur in a variety of settings for example, at school and at home. The evaluator could also check for other conditions that may cause similar symptoms, such as anxiety or depression.
In adults, the evaluator will assess how severe the symptoms are and how they affect work or social life. The evaluation will also inquire how the person feels about the symptoms and how they interfere with daily functioning.
Many people who have ADHD struggle to remember if their issues began in the beginning or later. For that reason, the specialist will usually interview someone who is familiar with the person, such as a spouse or sibling for an adult; parents or teachers for children. The evaluation expert might use checklists to assess adults as well as a list of child-related behaviors.
Unlike in the past, the current guidelines for diagnosing ADHD state that an adult can't be diagnosed with ADHD unless symptoms were present before age 12. This change is meant to prevent people who had ADHD as children from being misdiagnosed as having other disorders such as anxiety or depression.
Medical History
If you suspect that your or your child suffers from ADHD The first step is to locate an expert who can perform a thorough evaluation. Contact your doctor or a local mental health care expert for recommendations, or look in the phone book under "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also contact an adult ADHD support group, since many of them have worked with local specialists who can provide recommendations.
During the ADHD diagnostic evaluation, a medical professional will review the person's medical and family history. They will inquire about how the symptoms affect functioning in different environments such as at home, work or in relationships. It is important to assess the severity of the symptoms in light of the APA's diagnostic guidelines for ADHD note that the symptoms have to cause significant impairment for the diagnosis to be made.
The healthcare professional will usually interview the patient, but they may also talk to his or her siblings, parents and friends who know him well. Some healthcare professionals require patients to complete questionnaires or scales. They may also ask for ADHD checklists for symptoms and behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers can be valuable sources of information too.
It is crucial to determine the extent to which the individual's symptoms interfere in various settings, as the APA's diagnostic guidelines stipulate that the symptoms must occur frequently and impair performance. This is essential due to the fact that other conditions like mood disorders and learning disabilities, can present similarly to ADHD (Austerman 2015). Additionally, a medical exam may be performed to check for other causes that could be causing the symptoms, such as thyroid issues, vision or hearing issues, or the use of certain drugs, such as stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In certain cases there is the family history of ADHD is a major element in determining if you have a diagnosis. It is a highly inheritable condition, and a careful examination of the patient's and his or her relatives' histories can help establish the presence of a genetic pattern.
It is essential for health professionals to get a complete picture of the symptoms a patient is experiencing, for example, whether they happen at work, school or in social settings. A doctor should also be able to determine the extent to which symptoms interfere with the person's everyday functioning. This is a more reliable test than simply looking at symptom counts or examining a patient's IQ.
A doctor may conduct an interview with teens or children, and also the parents. In a majority of instances, a pediatrician or psychiatrist is trained to evaluate and treatment of ADHD. A mental health professional with extensive experience in ADHD is required to conduct a detailed interview for adults.
A thorough assessment usually includes a physical examination, which can rule out specific health conditions that can cause similar symptoms as ADHD. A complete medical history is also obtained. For children, this may include previous medical and school records, as well as a psychological evaluation by school counselors or psychologists. For adults, old school records are often useful in establishing the cause of symptoms that began in the early years of life.
When diagnosing adults it is crucial to look at how the symptoms affect daily functioning. A thorough psychiatric examination might be required, including ratings scales and questions from the patient and caregivers in addition to a clinical interview and referral for a medical examination. Additionally psychometric or neuropsychological assessments is often used for adults in order to see how the symptoms are linked to learning disorders and other cognitive impairments.
Interviews
A professional will ask you or your child questions about their problems at home, school and in the community. how to get assessed for adhd will also inquire about the child's or yours's medical or personal history, including family and friends and will review any documents you may bring with you including old school reports. This information will allow the provider to decide if you or your child is required to undergo a test 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. The ratings are typically conducted over a period of six months, which includes both at the school and at home. The ratings should be provided by people who know your child and yourself well, including coaches, teachers and Scouts, religious leaders and parents.
To be diagnosed with ADHD children and adults must have symptomatic behavior that is debilitating and interferes with everyday functioning in a variety of settings, such as at school, at work or playing. The symptoms must manifest in the early years of childhood, usually before age 12. They aren't caused by a mental health problem.
Psychometric and neuropsychological tests that test IQ, brain function and cognitive functioning can enhance the accuracy and sensitivity of ADHD evaluations. They should be used alongside a clinician's assessment and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment plan. These assessments could involve the administration of a standardized questionnaire like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA), or a computer-based adaptive testing method that allows for measurement of responses speed, short-term memory and executive functions. In the near future, technology that is digital like virtual reality and head sensors that monitor head movements for continuous performance tests may help improve ecological validity by allowing people to be immersed in their natural surroundings instead of being in a clinic.
Tests
If your doctor or mental health professional suspects ADHD, he or she may recommend you to an ADHD specialist. A thorough evaluation should consist of a comprehensive interview, information from other sources, such as your spouse or significant others, and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. The evaluator will order tests based on the clinical impression to check for conditions that could be causing your symptoms. These include depression as well as learning disabilities or a medical condition.
A thorough ADHD evaluation is required by the examiner to determine if your symptoms are significantly impairing your life and functioning. The impairment can occur in a variety of settings, like at home at work, at school, or in your social connections. The evaluator will ask you how your condition affected you in each situation. This will enable the evaluator make an assessment and formulate treatment recommendations.
In addition to the symptom rating A complete assessment will typically include one or more performance tests that are standard for ADHD. These tests are based on research and compare the behavior of people suffering from ADHD with those without. These instruments improve on the limitations of a traditional clinical interview since they focus more on specific behaviors than the overall functioning of an individual. These measures can help assessors determine if an individual is being disingenuous or trying to cheat on the test, a problem that has been recognized for a number of years in the field of neuropsychological testing.
In addition to the standardized test and the symptom-rating scales and symptom rating scales, a thorough ADHD assessment should include brain scans or other imaging procedures for neurological disorders. However, these tests are not routinely used in a clinical setting because they are expensive and expose the patient to ionizing radiation.