ADHD Diagnosis
Adults are more difficult to diagnose than children. A consultation with an ADHD expert is the first step towards getting a reliable diagnosis.
You must bring any medical or academic documents to your appointment. You may also bring questionnaires or rating scales to provide details on your symptoms.
Symptoms
A doctor will conduct a physical examination and interview you to determine whether ADHD is present. The examiner will ask questions about the person's life and childhood, and might use checklists to record the symptoms of the individual. The evaluator may also review 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 person suffers from multiple symptoms for at least 6 months and that the symptoms occur in more than one place -- for example, at home, school or at work. The evaluator can also look for other conditions that may cause similar symptoms, such as depression or anxiety.
In adults the evaluator will evaluate how severe the symptoms are and how they impact social or work life. The evaluator might also ask the person what their feelings are about their symptoms and whether or not they interfere with their daily functioning.
Many people suffering from ADHD are unable to recall when their problems began. For that reason, a specialist will usually interview someone who is familiar with the person, such as a spouse or sibling for an adult or an educator or parent for the child. The evaluator may use checklists to evaluate adults and a list of behaviors for children.
Unlike in the past, current diagnostic guidelines indicate that an adult shouldn't be diagnosed with ADHD unless symptoms were present before the age of 12. This change is designed to stop people suffering from ADHD who were diagnosed as children from being misdiagnosed as having other disorders, such as depression and anxiety.
Medical Histories
If you suspect that your child or yourself may have ADHD, your first step is to seek out an expert who can perform an extensive assessment. Consult your physician or an experienced local mental health expert for suggestions, or consult the phone book for "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also join an adult ADHD support group, as they may have worked with local specialists who are able to provide referrals.
A healthcare professional will look over the person's medical history as well as background information regarding the family during the ADHD diagnostic evaluation. They will inquire about the impact of the symptoms on functioning in different settings, like at home, work or in relationships. It is essential to determine how severe the symptoms are because the APA's diagnostic guidelines for ADHD state that the symptoms must cause significant impairment to be diagnosed.
visit link will speak with the patient, but they may request details from the patient's parents siblings, friends, and parents who know him. Some healthcare professionals will ask people to complete questionnaires or fill out rating scales, which include ADHD symptom checklists and standardized behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers can be useful sources of information.
It is essential to evaluate how the individual's symptoms affect with functioning in different environments, as the APA's diagnostic guidelines state that symptoms have to occur frequently and affect performance. This is essential due to the fact that other conditions like mood disorders and learning disabilities can present similarly to ADHD (Austerman 2015). In addition medical exams can be conducted to determine other causes that could be causing the symptoms, like thyroid issues, vision or hearing problems or the use of certain medications such as stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In certain instances the presence of ADHD in the family could be a major factor determining the diagnosis. It is highly inherited and a look at the patient and their relatives' histories can help determine if there is any family-related pattern.
It is crucial for healthcare professionals to be able to see the full picture of a patient's symptoms, for example, whether they happen at work, school or in social settings. A physician should also consider the degree to which symptoms affect the person's everyday functioning. This is a more accurate measure than simply counting symptoms or assessing the level of intelligence of a patient.
For children and teens, a doctor can interview the teen or child and his or her parents. In many instances, a psychiatrist or pediatrician is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. For adults, a detailed interview is required by a mental health specialist who has extensive experience with ADHD and takes the time to examine each patient's situation.
A thorough assessment includes a physical examination, which helps to rule out certain conditions that could cause symptoms similar to ADHD. A complete medical history is also gathered. This can include school and medical records as in addition to a psychologist's or school counselor's psychological evaluation. For adults, old school records are often useful in establishing if symptoms started in the early years of life.
When diagnosing adults it is crucial to look at how the symptoms affect your daily life. A thorough psychiatric exam could be required that includes rating scales and questionnaires by the patient and caregivers, a psychotherapy interview and referral for a medical exam. Adults can also undergo a psychometric or neuropsychological assessment to determine the relationship between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A provider will ask you or your child questions regarding their issues at home, school and in the community. The provider will inquire about your child's medical and family history, and will also review any records you bring, such as old school report cards. This information will help the provider determine if you or your child is eligible to take a test for diagnosing 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 taken over a six-month period, and include both home and school. The evaluations must be conducted by people who are familiar with your your child's behaviors, such as teachers as well as religious and scout leaders, coaches and parents.
Children and adults diagnosed with ADHD are likely to exhibit symptoms that are debilitating and affect their daily activities at school, 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 condition.
The sensitivity and precision of ADHD evaluations can be improved by using neuropsychological and psychometric tests that measure IQ and cognitive performance. They should be used in conjunction with a clinician's assessment and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment strategy. These assessments could include the administration of a standard test, such as the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults or a computerized testing approach which measures executive functions, short-term memory and speed of response. In the future digital technology, such as virtual reality and head movement sensors for continuous performance tests, can help improve the validity of ecological tests by giving people the opportunity to immerse into their natural environment instead of being in a clinic.
Tests
Your physician or a mental health specialist may refer you to specialists if he/she she suspects ADHD. A thorough assessment should include a comprehensive interview, information from other sources, such as your spouse or significant other and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. The evaluator will recommend tests according to the clinical impression to screen for any conditions that may affect your symptoms. This includes depression or learning disabilities, or a medical illness.
A thorough ADHD evaluation requires the evaluator to determine if your symptoms are significantly impairing your functioning and life. The impairment could occur in a variety of settings, such as at home, at work, in school, or even in your social relationships. The examiner should inquire about what the impact of your condition has been on your life in each of these settings. This will assist the evaluator determine a diagnosis and formulate treatment recommendations.
A comprehensive assessment will comprise in addition to symptoms ratings and standard performance tests for ADHD. These tests are built on research which compares the behavior of those with ADHD and those who do not. These instruments improve on the limitations of a standard clinical interview by focusing more on specific behaviors rather than the overall functioning of an individual. These tests can also help assessors determine if an individual is lying or attempting to cheat on the test this issue has been recognized for many years in the field of neuropsychological testing.
In addition to the standard test and the symptom-rating scales and symptom rating scales, a thorough ADHD assessment should include brain scans or other imaging techniques for the brain. However, these tests are not routinely used in a clinical setting due to the expense and expose patients to ionizing radiation.