ADHD Diagnosis
Finding out if you have ADHD in adults can be more difficult than diagnosing children. A reliable diagnosis begins with a consultation with an expert in ADHD.
You should bring any medical or academic documents to your appointment. It is also beneficial to bring ratings scales and interviews that can provide information regarding your symptoms.
Signs and symptoms
A doctor will conduct a physical examination and interview you to determine whether ADHD is present. The evaluator may inquire about a person's childhood and family history and use checklists to note symptoms. The evaluator will also review school and work records and may wish to speak with teachers or others who interact 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. adhd diagnostic assessment are that the person must have experienced multiple symptoms for at least six months and occur in a variety of settings like at school or at home. The evaluator may also look for other ailments that can cause similar symptoms, such as depression, anxiety or a thyroid problem.
Adults will be evaluated to determine the severity of their symptoms and their impact on work or social life. The evaluator can also ask the individual what their feelings are about their symptoms and if they affect their daily functioning.
Many people with ADHD struggle to remember if their issues began in the beginning or later. A specialist may interview people who are familiar with the person, such as their spouse, sibling or parent for an adult, or a teacher or parent for the child. The evaluator might employ checklists for adults, and for children there is a list of behavior to be on the lookout for.
In contrast to the past, the current guidelines for diagnosing ADHD indicate that an adult shouldn't be diagnosed with ADHD unless symptoms were present before the age of 12. This change is designed 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 your child or yourself has ADHD, your first step is to seek out an expert who can perform a thorough evaluation. Consult your physician or an area mental health specialist for suggestions, or consult the phone book for "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also contact an adult support group with ADHD because many of them will have worked with local experts who can provide recommendations.
A healthcare professional will go over the person's medical history as well as family background during the ADHD diagnostic evaluation. They will ask about how the symptoms affect functioning in different environments such as at work, at home, or in relationships. It is important to assess the severity of the symptoms because the APA's guidelines for diagnosing ADHD stipulate that the symptoms have to cause significant impairment in order to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will usually interview the patient, but they might also request to speak to the person's siblings, parents and friends who know him well. Some healthcare professionals will ask patients to fill out questionnaires or scales. These may include ADHD symptom checklists and rating of behavior. Teachers and other caregivers are often useful sources of information too.
It is crucial to determine how the person's symptoms interfere in various situations, since the APA's diagnostic guidelines note that symptoms must manifest frequently and impair performance. This is important, as other conditions like mood disorders or learning disabilities can appear similar to ADHD (Austerman 2015). Additionally medical exams can be performed to check for other possible causes of the symptoms, like thyroid issues, vision or hearing issues, or the use of certain drugs, such as stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In some cases, a family history of ADHD is a key factor in getting a diagnosis. It is a highly heritable condition, and a careful study of the patient's as well as his or her relatives histories can help determine whether there is a family pattern.
It is important for providers to get a complete picture of the patient's symptoms regardless of whether they occur at work, school, or in social situations. A provider should also determine the degree to which symptoms interfere with a person's daily functioning. This is more important than simply calculating symptoms or looking at the IQ of patients.
For teenagers and children, a doctor can interview the child or teen as well as their parents. In a majority of cases, a pediatrician or psychiatrist specializes in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD. A mental health specialist with a vast knowledge of ADHD is required to conduct a detailed interview for adults.
A thorough evaluation typically includes a physical examination, that can rule out certain health conditions that can cause similar symptoms to ADHD. A complete medical history is also obtained. This can include medical and school records, as well as a psychologist or school counselor's psychological evaluation. For adults the old school records are often helpful in determining whether symptoms began in childhood.
In the case of diagnosing adults, it's important to consider how symptoms impact daily life. A thorough psychiatric examination may also be necessary, involving questionnaires and rating scales for the patient and their caregivers, a clinical interview, and a referral for a medical exam. Adults may also undergo a neuropsychological or psychometric assessment to determine the relationship between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A provider will ask you or your child about their problems at home, school and in the community. The provider will also ask about your or your child's previous medical and personal history, as well as family and personal histories and will review any documents that you might bring along, such as old school report cards. This information will enable the doctor to determine whether you or your child is required 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 typically conducted over a period of six months, which includes both home and school. The rating must be performed by people who are familiar with your your child's behaviors, such as teachers and religious leaders, scout and Scout leaders, coaches, and parents.
To be diagnosed with ADHD adults and children must exhibit a symptomatic behavior that is a source of distress and hinders everyday functioning in multiple situations, like at school, work or play. The symptoms must manifest in the early years of childhood, usually before age 12. They are not caused by any other mental health issue.
Psychometric and neuropsychological tests that measure IQ, cognitive functioning and brain function can enhance the accuracy and sensitivity of ADHD evaluations. However, they should only be utilized as part of an assessment plan that includes a clinician interview and rating scales. These assessments can involve the administration a standardized test like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults or a computerized testing method that measures executive functions, short-term memories and speed of response. In the future digital technology, such as virtual reality for continuous performance tests and head movement sensors may aid in improving the ecological validity of these ADHD assessment tools by giving the person being assessed to be in their surroundings instead of sitting in the clinical office.
Tests
Your doctor or mental health care specialist may recommend you to specialists if he/she suspects ADHD. A thorough evaluation should consist of an extensive interview, details from other sources, such as your spouse or significant other, and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. Based on the clinical impression, the evaluator may also order tests to screen for any other conditions that could affect your symptoms, like depression, learning disabilities or a medical illness.
To conduct a thorough ADHD assessment, the evaluator must determine whether your symptoms have a significant impact on your life and performance. The problem can manifest in many different settings, for example, at home, at work, in school, or even in your social connections. The evaluator will inquire what your symptoms affected you in each situation. This will enable the evaluator to make a diagnosis, and develop treatment recommendations.
A complete assessment will include the symptom ratings and standardized performance tests for ADHD. These instruments for testing are based on research comparing the behavior of those with ADHD to those without it. These instruments improve on the limitations of a standard clinical interview because they focus more on specific behavior rather than an individual's overall functioning. These measures can help assessors identify when a person is lying or trying to cheat a test. This problem has been recognized in the field for many years.
In addition to the standard test and the symptom-rating scales, a thorough ADHD evaluation should include brain scans or other neurological imaging procedures. However, these tests are not routinely used in a clinical setting because they are expensive and expose the patient to ionizing radiation.