ADHD Diagnosis
Finding out if you have 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.
You must bring any medical or academic records to your appointment. You may also bring questionnaires and rating scales that give details about your symptoms.
Symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis involves a physical exam and a discussion with a physician. The evaluator will ask questions about the person's life and childhood, and may use checklists to note the person's symptoms. The evaluator will also go through the person's academic and work records, and may wish to talk with teachers or other individuals who are close to 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 is that the patient has a variety of symptoms for at least six months, and that the symptoms occur in more than one place -- such as at home and at school or at work. The evaluator will also be looking for other conditions that can cause similar symptoms, such as anxiety, depression or a thyroid issue.
In adults the evaluator will determine how severe the symptoms are and how they affect work or social life. The evaluator might also inquire about what their feelings are about their symptoms and if they affect their daily functioning.
Many people with ADHD struggle to remember if their problems started in childhood or later. A specialist will typically interview anyone who is familiar with the individual, for example, their spouse, sibling, or parent for an adult or a teacher or parent for children. The examiner might use checklists to assess adults as well as a list of behaviors for children.
In contrast to the past, the current guidelines for diagnosing ADHD state that an adult can't be diagnosed with ADHD when symptoms were evident before age 12. This change is intended to stop people suffering from ADHD who were diagnosed as children from being misdiagnosed as having other disorders, for example, depression and anxiety.
Medical History
If you suspect that you or your child is suffering from ADHD the first step is to locate an expert who can provide a thorough evaluation. Ask your doctor or a mental health expert in your area for recommendations, or look up the phone book by "psychiatry" and "psychology." You can also contact an adult support group with ADHD, as many of them will have worked with local experts who are able to provide referrals.
During the ADHD diagnostic evaluation, a medical specialist will examine the patient's medical and family history. They will inquire about how the symptoms affect functioning in different settings, like at work, at home, or in relationships. It is essential to determine how severe the symptoms are, as the APA's diagnostic guidelines for ADHD stipulate that the symptoms must result in significant impairment for the diagnosis to be made.
The healthcare professional will talk to the patient, but they may also seek information from parents siblings, friends, and parents who know him. Some healthcare professionals will ask patients to fill out questionnaires or scales. These include ADHD symptoms checklists and behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers can also be important sources of information.
The APA's Diagnostic Guidelines stipulate that symptoms should be frequent and impact performance. This is important, as other conditions, such as mood disorders or learning disabilities could present in a similar way to ADHD (Austerman 2015). In addition medical exams can be performed to identify other causes that could be causing the symptoms, like thyroid problems, vision and hearing problems or the use of certain medications like stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In some cases, the family history of ADHD is a key factor in getting a diagnosis. It is a highly inheritable condition, and a careful review of the patient's and his or her family members histories can help determine whether there is a family pattern.
It is crucial that healthcare professionals get a complete picture about the symptoms of their patients, including whether or not they happen in work, school or in social settings. A physician should also consider the degree to which symptoms interfere with the person's everyday functioning. This is a better measure than simply counting symptoms or looking at the IQ of patients.
A doctor may interview the child or teen as well as his or her parents. In many instances, a pediatrician or psychiatrist is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. For adults, a detailed interview is required by a mental health professional who has extensive experience with ADHD and is able to carefully evaluate each patient's presentation.
A comprehensive evaluation usually includes a physical examination, which can rule out certain health conditions that can cause similar symptoms as ADHD. A complete medical history is also taken. For children, this can include prior medical and school records, as well as an evaluation of the psychological state by a school counselor or psychologist. For adults, old school records can be helpful in determining if symptoms started in childhood.
In the case of diagnosing adults, it's important to take into consideration how symptoms affect your daily life. A thorough psychiatric evaluation is also possible, involving rating scales and questionnaires by the patient and his or her caregivers, a psychotherapy interview and referral for a medical exam. In adhd assessment cheap , psychometric or neuropsychological assessment can be used in adult cases to determine if the symptoms are linked to learning disorders and other cognitive impairments.
Interviews
A professional will ask you or your child about their issues at home, school and in the community. The provider will ask about your child's medical and family history, and will review any records you have, like old school report cards. This information will help the doctor decide whether you or your child should take a test to diagnose 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 time period which includes both at home and school. The evaluations must be conducted by people who are familiar with your or your child's behavior, such as teachers as well as religious and Scout leaders, coaches, and parents.
To be diagnosed with ADHD, children and adults must exhibit a symptomatic behavior that is a source of distress and hinders 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 are not caused by any other mental health issue.
The sensitivity and accuracy of ADHD evaluations can be improved through the use of psychometric and neuropsychological tests that measure IQ and cognitive performance. They should be used in conjunction with a clinician's interview and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment plan. These assessments can involve the administration of a standardized test, such as the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults or a computerized testing method that measures executive functions, short-term memories and reaction speed. In the near future, technology that is digital like virtual reality and head movement sensors for continuous performance tests, could help improve the ecological validity by permitting people to immerse themselves into their natural environment instead of sitting in a clinic.
Tests
If your physician or mental health professional suspects ADHD they might recommend you to an ADHD specialist. A thorough evaluation should consist of an extensive interview, details from other sources, such as your spouse or significant others, and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. The evaluator will order tests according to the clinical impression to check for conditions that could affect your symptoms. This includes depression or learning disabilities, or a medical illness.
To conduct an accurate ADHD assessment, the evaluator must determine if the symptoms significantly impact your life and functioning. The impairment could occur in many different settings, for example, at home, at work, in school, or in your social interactions. The evaluator will inquire how your symptoms affected you in each situation. This will allow the evaluator to establish an assessment and formulate treatment suggestions.
In addition to the symptom ratings A complete assessment will typically include one or more standardized performance test for ADHD. These instruments for testing are based on research and compare the behavior of people with ADHD with those without. They enhance the effectiveness of a clinical interview by focusing on specific behaviours rather than the general performance. These measures can also help evaluators identify when an individual is lying or trying to cheat on the test, a problem that has been identified for many years in the field of neuropsychological testing.
In addition to the standard test and the symptom-rating scales as well as the symptom rating scales, an extensive ADHD assessment should include brain scans and other neurological imaging procedures. However, these tests are not commonly used in a clinical setting due to the expense and expose the patient to radiation.