ADHD Diagnosis
Adults can be more difficult to identify than children. A reliable diagnosis begins with a thorough interview conducted by an expert in ADHD.
You should bring any medical or academic records to your appointment. It's also helpful to bring rating scales and interviews that can provide information regarding your symptoms.
Signs and symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis is based on a physical exam and a conversation with a doctor. The evaluator will inquire about the person's family history and childhood, and may use checklists to record the person's symptoms. online assessment for adhd may also review the person's academic and work documents, and may want to talk 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 is that the person suffers from multiple symptoms for at least six months and that the symptoms manifest in more than one setting -- such as at home and at school or at work. The examiner will also be looking for other conditions that can cause similar symptoms, like depression, anxiety or a thyroid condition.
Adults will be assessed to determine the severity of their symptoms and the impact they have on social or work life. The evaluation will also inquire how the person feels about their symptoms and how much they impact daily life.
Many people who suffer from ADHD are unable to remember whether their problems started in the early years or later. This is why a specialist will usually interview someone who knows the person well for example, siblings or spouses for an adult; a parent or teacher for a child. The evaluation expert might use checklists to assess adults as well as a list of the behaviors that children exhibit.
Contrary to previous diagnostic guidelines the adult can't be diagnosed with ADHD until symptoms begin to manifest prior to the age of 12. This change is meant to stop people who experienced ADHD as children from being misdiagnosed with other disorders such as anxiety or depression.
Medical History
If you suspect that your or your child suffers from ADHD the first step is to find an expert who can provide an extensive assessment. Consult your physician or an area mental health professional for suggestions, or consult the phone book under "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also join an adult ADHD support group, since they may have worked with local specialists who are able to offer referrals.
During the ADHD diagnostic assessment, a healthcare professional will review the person's medical and family history. They will inquire as to what the symptoms hinder functioning in different environments, like at home, at work, or with relationships. It is important to determine the severity of the symptoms since the APA's guidelines for ADHD state that symptoms require significant impairment to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will interview the patient, but may also seek information from parents, siblings, and friends who know him. Some professionals will have people complete questionnaires or ratings scales, such as ADHD symptom checklists and standardized behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers can be useful sources of information as well.
It is essential to evaluate how the person's symptoms interfere in various situations, since the APA's diagnostic guidelines state that symptoms must manifest often and cause impairment to performance. This is vital, as other conditions like mood disorders or learning disabilities could present in a similar way as ADHD (Austerman 2015). A medical exam can also be done to determine if there are any other possible causes for the symptoms. This could be thyroid issues, vision or hearing issues, or prescription medications such as stimulants and sedatives.
Family History
In certain instances the presence of ADHD in the family can be a major factor in the determination of a diagnosis. cost of adhd assessment is highly heritable, and a thorough review of the patient's and their relatives' histories can help determine if there is any pattern of inheritance in the family.
It is essential for health professionals to have a complete understanding of a patient's symptoms, including whether they occur at work, school or in social settings. A provider must also assess the extent to which a person's symptoms hinder their everyday functioning. This is more important than simply counting symptoms or assessing the IQ of the patient.
A doctor may conduct an interview with a child or teen, as well as his or her parents. In many cases, a pediatrician psychiatrist specializes in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD. For adults, a thorough interview is required by a mental health professional who has extensive knowledge of ADHD and takes the time to examine the individual's symptoms.
A thorough assessment usually includes a physical exam which can rule out certain health conditions that can cause similar symptoms as ADHD. A complete medical history is also gathered. For children, this may include medical and school records and an evaluation of the psychological state by a school counselor or psychologist. For adults documents from school are often helpful in determining the cause of symptoms that began in the early years of life.
If you are diagnosing an adult in particular, it is crucial to look at how the symptoms affect daily functioning. A thorough psychiatric evaluation is also possible with regard to the use of questionnaires and rating scales by the patient and caregivers, a medical interview and referral for a medical exam. Adults may also undergo a neuropsychological or psychometric test to determine the connection between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A healthcare professional will ask you or your child questions regarding their issues at school, home and in the community. The provider will also inquire about your or your child's previous medical or personal history, including family and friends and will review any records that you might bring along including old report cards from school. This information will help the doctor decide whether 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. The ratings are typically conducted over a six-month time period and cover both at home and school. The ratings should be given by people who know your child or yourself well, including teachers, coaches and religious leaders, scouts and parents.
Children and adults who are diagnosed with ADHD must exhibit symptoms that are debilitating, and can hinder their daily functioning whether at school, work, or play. Symptoms must begin in the early years of childhood, usually before age 12. They can't be caused by a mental health issue.
Psychometric and neuropsychological tests to measure IQ, brain function and cognitive functioning can increase the accuracy and precision of ADHD assessments. They should be used in conjunction with a clinician's assessment and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment plan. These assessments may include the use of a standardized questionnaire like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA) or a computerized adaptive testing approach that measures response speed, short-term memory and executive functions. In the future digital technology like virtual reality and head movement sensors for continuous performance tests could help improve the ecological validity by allowing people to be immersed into their surroundings instead of sitting in a clinic.
Tests
If your GP or mental health professional suspects ADHD the doctor might recommend you to an ADHD specialist. A thorough assessment will consist of an in-depth interview, information from other sources such as your spouse or significant others and the standardized scales of behavior ratings for ADHD. The evaluator will order tests in accordance with the clinical impression and will screen for any conditions that may be causing your symptoms. These include depression, learning disabilities, or a medical condition.
A thorough ADHD evaluation is required by the examiner to determine if your symptoms are significantly impairing your life and functioning. Impairment can be in a variety settings, including your work, home or school, as well as social interactions. The evaluator should ask what the impact of your condition has been on you in each situation. This will enable the evaluator to make a diagnosis, and develop treatment recommendations.
A comprehensive assessment will comprise in addition to rating of symptoms and standardized tests for performance for ADHD. These testing instruments are based on research that compares the behavior of people suffering from ADHD with those without. They can improve the limitations of the clinical interview by focusing on specific behaviors rather than the overall performance. These measures can aid in identifying when the person is not being honest or trying to cheat the test, a problem that has been identified for many years in the field of neuropsychological testing.
In addition to the standard test and symptom rating scales and symptom rating scales, a thorough ADHD evaluation should include brain scans or other imaging techniques for the brain. However these tests aren't routinely used in a clinical setting due to the cost and expose patients to ionizing radiation.