ADHD Diagnosis
Adults are more difficult to diagnose than children. An interview with a clinical ADHD expert is the first step towards a good diagnosis.
You should bring any medical or academic documents to your appointment. You can also bring questionnaires and rating scales to provide details on your symptoms.
Symptoms
A doctor will conduct a physical exam and interview you to determine whether ADHD is present. The examiner may ask questions about a person's childhood and their family history and use checklists to document symptoms. The evaluator may also review the person's work and school records, and may wish to speak with teachers or other individuals 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 has been suffering from multiple symptoms for at least six months, and that they occur in a variety of settings, like at school or at home. The evaluator can also look for other conditions that could cause similar symptoms, like anxiety or depression.
Adults will be assessed to determine the severity of symptoms and their impact on their work or social lives. The evaluator may also ask the person what their feelings are about their symptoms and if they affect their daily functioning.
Many people who have ADHD are unable to remember whether their issues began in the beginning or later. A specialist will typically interview someone who is familiar with the person, such as their spouse, sibling, or parent for an adult or a teacher parent for a child. The examiner might use checklists to assess adults as well as a list of child-related behaviors.
Contrary to the past, the current diagnostic guidelines state that an adult can't be diagnosed with ADHD in the event that symptoms appeared before the age of 12. This change is intended to protect people who suffered from ADHD as children from being misdiagnosed as having other disorders, such as depression or anxiety.
Medical Histories
If you suspect that you or your child is suffering from ADHD, the first step is to find an expert who can perform an extensive assessment. Consult your doctor or mental health professional in your area for recommendations, or look up the phone book by "psychiatry" and "psychology." You can also contact an adult ADHD support group, since many of them have worked with local specialists who can provide referrals.
A healthcare professional will review the person's medical history as well as family history during the ADHD diagnostic evaluation. They will ask what the symptoms hinder functioning in different environments, like at home, at work, or in relationships. It is important to assess the severity of the symptoms, as the APA's guidelines for diagnosing ADHD note that the symptoms have to cause significant impairment to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will usually interview the patient, however, they may also ask to talk to parents, siblings and friends who know him well. Some healthcare professionals will ask patients to complete questionnaires or scales. They may also ask for ADHD checklists for symptoms and rating of behavior. Teachers and other caregivers are valuable sources of information as well.
It is important to assess how the individual's symptoms affect with functioning in different environments, as the APA's diagnostic guidelines state that symptoms have to occur often and cause impairment to performance. This is essential because other conditions, such as mood disorders and learning disabilities, may present similar to ADHD (Austerman 2015). A medical exam may also be performed to determine if there are any other possible causes for the symptoms. These could include thyroid issues as well as hearing or vision issues, or prescription medications such as stimulants and sedatives.
Family History
In some cases the presence of ADHD in the family can be a major factor in making a diagnosis. It is a hereditary condition, and a thorough review of the patient's and his or her relatives' histories can help establish if there is a familial pattern.
It is important that providers get a complete picture about the symptoms of their patients, which includes whether or not they occur at work, in school or in social situations. A physician should also consider the degree to which symptoms affect a person's daily functioning. This is a more accurate measure than simply counting symptoms or looking at the level of intelligence of the patient.
A doctor may interview teens or children, as well as the parents. In many cases, a psychiatrist or pediatrician is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. A mental health professional with extensive experience in ADHD is required to conduct a thorough interview for adults.
A comprehensive evaluation includes a physical examination, which helps to rule out certain conditions that can cause symptoms similar to ADHD. A complete medical history is also taken. This may include medical and school records, as well as a psychologist or school counselor's psychological evaluation. For adults documents from school are often useful in establishing the cause of symptoms that began in childhood.
When diagnosing adults, it is important to take into consideration how symptoms affect daily functioning. click here for more info may also be necessary with regard to questionnaires and rating scales for the patient and caregivers, a psychotherapy interview and a referral to a medical exam. In addition, psychometric or neuropsychological assessment is often used for adults to determine if the symptoms are related to learning disorders and other cognitive impairments.
Interviews
A provider will ask you or your child about their concerns at school, home and in the community. The provider will ask about your child's medical and family background, and will look over any documents you might have, like old school report cards. This information will allow the doctor to determine whether you or your child is required to undergo tests 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 the course of six months and cover both home and school. The rating must be performed by those who are familiar with your or your child's behavior like teachers, religious and Scout leaders, coaches, and parents.
Children and adults who are diagnosed with ADHD are likely to exhibit symptoms that are debilitating, and interfere with daily functioning whether at work, school, or play. Symptoms should start in early childhood, typically before the age of 12. They cannot be caused by any other mental health issue.
The sensitivity and accuracy of ADHD evaluations can be improved by using neuropsychological and psychometric tests that measure IQ and cognitive function. However, they should be utilized as part of an assessment strategy that includes a clinician interview as well as rating scales. These assessments could involve the use of a standardized questionnaire like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA) or a computer-based adaptive testing method 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 may help improve ecological validity by permitting people to immerse themselves into their surroundings instead of sitting in a clinic.
Tests
If your GP or mental healthcare professional suspects ADHD, he or she might refer you to an ADHD specialist. A complete evaluation should include an extensive interview, details from other sources, such as your spouse or significant other and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. The evaluator will conduct tests based on the clinical impression to check for any conditions that might be causing your symptoms. This includes depression as well as learning disabilities or a medical condition.
A thorough ADHD evaluation requires the examiner to determine if your symptoms are significantly affecting your functioning and life. The impairment can occur in a variety of settings, like at home at work, at school, or even in your social interactions. The evaluator will inquire how your symptoms affected you in every situation. This will allow the evaluator to establish an assessment and formulate treatment suggestions.
A comprehensive assessment will comprise in addition to symptoms ratings and standardized tests for performance for ADHD. These instruments for testing are based on research and compare the behavior of people with ADHD to those who do not. These instruments improve on the limitations of a traditional clinical interview because they focus more on specific behavior rather than the overall functioning of an individual. These tests can also aid in identifying when 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.
A thorough ADHD evaluation includes a brain scan or other neuroimaging procedures in addition to the standard test and symptom rating scales. These tests are not used in clinical settings because they cost a lot of money and expose patients to radioactivity ionizing.