ADHD Diagnosis
Adults are more difficult to identify than children. An interview with a clinical ADHD expert is the first step in obtaining an accurate diagnosis.
Bring any medical or academic records with you to your appointment. You may bring questionnaires and rating scales to provide details about your symptoms.
Signs and symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis requires a physical exam and a discussion with a medical professional. The evaluator will ask questions about the person's family and childhood, and may use checklists to document the person's symptoms. The evaluator will also go through the person's school and work records, and may also want to speak 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 individual must have had several symptoms for atleast six months and that they occur in multiple settings, for example, at school and at home. The evaluator will also look for other conditions that may cause similar symptoms, like anxiety, depression or a thyroid condition.
In adults, the evaluator will assess how severe the symptoms are and how they affect the way that they work or interact with others. The evaluator may also ask the person what their feelings are about their symptoms and if they interfere with their daily life.
Many people with ADHD are unable to recall the exact date they began experiencing problems. Because of this, an expert will typically interview someone who knows the person well for example, a spouse or sibling for an adult, or a parent or teacher for children. The examiner may use checklists for adults, and for children the list of behaviours to look out for.
In contrast to the past, current diagnostic guidelines stipulate that an adult cannot be diagnosed with ADHD in the event that symptoms appeared before age 12. This change is meant to stop people suffering from ADHD who were diagnosed as children from being wrongly diagnosed as having other disorders, like depression and anxiety.
Medical Histories
If you suspect your child or yourself may have ADHD, your first step should be to consult an expert who will perform a thorough evaluation. Contact your doctor or a local mental health care expert for recommendations, or look in the phone book for "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also reach out to an adult ADHD support group, since many will have worked with local specialists who can provide recommendations.
A healthcare professional will look over the medical history of a patient and family history during the ADHD diagnostic assessment. They will ask what the symptoms hinder functioning in different settings, such as at home, at work, or with relationships. It is crucial to determine the severity of the symptoms because the APA's diagnostic guidelines for ADHD state that the symptoms have to cause significant impairment in order to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will usually interview the person, but they might also request to talk to siblings, parents and friends who know him well. Some healthcare professionals require patients to fill out questionnaires or scales. They may also ask for ADHD symptom checklists and behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers are often helpful sources of information as well.
It is crucial to determine how the individual's symptoms affect in a variety of situations, since the APA's diagnostic guidelines stipulate that symptoms have to occur often and cause impairment to performance. This is essential because other conditions like mood disorders and learning disabilities may be similar to ADHD (Austerman 2015). A medical exam may also be performed to determine if there are other possible causes of the symptoms. This could be thyroid issues as well as hearing or vision issues, or medication like stimulants and sedatives.
Family History
In certain cases the presence of ADHD in the family can be a major factor the determination of a diagnosis. It is a highly heritable condition, and a thorough review of the patient's and relatives history can help determine the presence of a genetic pattern.
It is crucial for healthcare professionals to have a complete understanding of the patient's symptoms for example, whether they happen at work, school or in social settings. A doctor should also be able to determine the degree to which symptoms affect the person's everyday functioning. This is more important than simply calculating symptoms or assessing the IQ of patients.
A doctor may conduct an interview with teens or children, as well as his or her parents. In many cases, a psychiatrist or pediatrician specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. A mental health specialist who has extensive experience in ADHD is required to conduct a detailed interview for adults.
A thorough evaluation includes a physical examination which helps to rule out certain conditions that could cause symptoms similar to ADHD. A complete medical history is also obtained. For children, this may include previous medical and school records, as well as an evaluation of psychological health by a school counselor or psychologist. For adults, old school records are often useful in establishing if symptoms started in the early years of life.
When diagnosing adults it is important to consider how symptoms affect daily functioning. A thorough psychiatric exam may also be necessary with regard to questionnaires and rating scales for the patient and their caregivers, a medical interview, and a referral for medical examination. Adults may also undergo a psychometric or neuropsychological assessment to determine the connection between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A professional will ask you or your child about their issues at home, school and in the community. The doctor will also inquire about the child's or yours's medical or personal history, including family and friends and will review any records you bring along like old school reports. This information will enable the doctor to determine whether you or your child should to take 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. The ratings are typically conducted over a six-month period, and cover both at home and school. The ratings must be done by those who are familiar with your or your child's behavior, such as teachers, religious and Scout leaders, coaches and parents.
Adults and children who are diagnosed with ADHD are likely to exhibit symptoms that are debilitating, and affect their daily activities whether at school, work or playing. Symptoms should start in childhood, usually before 12 years of age. They aren't caused by another mental health problem.
Psychometric and neuropsychological tests to measure IQ, cognitive functioning and brain function can enhance the accuracy and precision of ADHD assessments. They should be utilized in conjunction with a physician's interview and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment strategy. These tests could include the administration of a standard questionnaire like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA), or a computer-based adaptive testing method that measures responses speed, short-term memory and executive functions. In the near future, digital technology, such as virtual reality and head sensors that monitor head movements for continuous performance tests can help improve the validity of ecological tests by permitting people to immerse themselves into their natural environment instead of sitting in a clinic.
Tests
Your physician or a mental health professional may recommend you to a specialist if he or suspects ADHD. A thorough evaluation will consist of an in-depth interview, information from other sources, such as your spouse or significant others, and standardized behavior ratings scales for ADHD. Based on the clinical impression the evaluator could also request tests to check for any other conditions that could affect your symptoms, such as depression, learning disabilities, or a medical condition.
A thorough ADHD evaluation is required by the evaluator to determine whether your symptoms are significantly affecting your life and performance. The impairment could occur in a variety of settings for example, at home, at work, in school, or with your social connections. The evaluator should ask how your symptoms have impacted you in each setting. This will help the evaluator determine a diagnosis and formulate treatment recommendations.
A complete assessment will include, in addition to symptom 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 without it. These instruments improve on the limitations of a traditional clinical interview because they focus more on specific behavior rather than an individual's overall functioning. psych assessment for adhd can also help evaluators identify when an individual is being disingenuous or trying to cheat on the test, a problem that has been recognized for many years in the field of neuropsychological testing.
A thorough ADHD evaluation includes the brain scan or other neuroimaging tests in addition to the standard test and symptom rating scales. However these tests aren't commonly used in a clinical setting due to the cost and expose the patient to ionizing radiation.