ADHD Diagnosis
Finding out if you have ADHD in adults can be trickier than diagnosing children. A reliable diagnosis begins with a consultation with an expert in ADHD.
Bring any medical or academic records to your appointment. You may also bring questionnaires and rating scales to provide details on your symptoms.
Signs and symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis requires physical examination and a discussion with a medical professional. The examiner may inquire about a person's family history and childhood and use checklists to note symptoms. The evaluator may also look over documents from the workplace and school, and may also want to speak with teachers or other people who are close to the person.
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 experienced multiple symptoms for at least six months and that they occur in a variety of settings, like at school and at home. The evaluator may also check for other conditions that could cause similar symptoms, such as depression or anxiety.
In adults, the evaluator will assess how severe the symptoms are and how they affect work or social life. The evaluator might also ask the individual what their feelings are about their symptoms and if they affect their daily life.
Many people suffering from ADHD cannot remember the exact date they began experiencing problems. Because of this, the specialist will usually interview someone who knows the person well like a spouse or sibling for an adult, or a parent or teacher for the child. The evaluator can use checklists to examine adults as well as a list of behaviors for children.
Contrary to previous diagnostic guidelines, an adult cannot be diagnosed with ADHD until symptoms begin to manifest before the age of twelve. This change is intended to prevent people with ADHD who were diagnosed as kids from being misdiagnosed as having other disorders, such as depression or anxiety.
Medical History
If you suspect that your child or yourself has ADHD the first step should be to consult an expert who can perform an extensive assessment. Talk to your doctor or mental health specialist in your area for recommendations, or look up the phone book by "psychiatry" and "psychology." You can also join an adult ADHD support group, since many of them have worked with local specialists who are able to provide referrals.
A healthcare professional will look over the medical history of a patient and family history during the ADHD diagnostic evaluation. They will ask about the impact of the symptoms on functioning in different environments, 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 in order to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will generally interview the patient, however, they may also ask to talk to parents, siblings and friends who are familiar with him. Some healthcare professionals will ask people to complete questionnaires or fill out rating scales, such as ADHD symptoms checklists as well as standardized behavior ratings. add adhd assessment iampsychiatry and other caregivers can be valuable sources of information too.
The APA's Diagnostic Guidelines say that symptoms should be frequent and interfere with performance. This is important, as other conditions such as mood disorders or learning disabilities can be similar as ADHD (Austerman 2015). Additionally an exam by a doctor could be conducted to determine other possible causes for the symptoms, including thyroid problems, vision and hearing issues or the use of certain drugs like stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In some cases, a history of ADHD in the family could be a significant factor in making the diagnosis. It is highly genetically inherited, and a review of the patient's and relatives' histories will help determine if there is any familial pattern.
It is important that providers get a complete picture about the symptoms of their patients, which includes whether or not they are present at work, in school, or social situations. A doctor should also be able to determine the extent of how symptoms impact the person's everyday functioning. This is a better measure than simply calculating symptoms or examining the level of intelligence of patients.
For children and teens, a doctor may interview the teen or child and their parents. In many cases, a psychiatrist or pediatrician is a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. A mental health specialist who has extensive experience in ADHD is required to conduct a thorough interview for adults.
A comprehensive evaluation usually includes a physical exam, which can rule out specific medical conditions that could cause similar symptoms as ADHD. A complete medical history is also gathered. This may include medical and school records as along with a psychologist's or school counselor's psychological evaluation. Old school records can be helpful for adults to determine whether symptoms started in the early years of childhood.
When diagnosing adults with psychiatric disorders, it is particularly important to determine if the symptoms impact daily functioning. A thorough psychiatric evaluation may be required, including ratings scales and questions from caregivers and patients in addition to a consultation with a doctor and referral for medical exam. Adults may also undergo a psychometric or neuropsychological assessment to determine the relationship between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A provider will interview you or your child regarding their issues at home, at 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 with you, such as old school report cards. This information will allow the doctor to determine if 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 include both the school and at home. The ratings should be provided by people who know your child or yourself well, such as coaches, teachers as well as religious leaders, scouts and parents.
Children and adults diagnosed with ADHD must exhibit symptoms that are debilitating, and affect their daily activities, whether at work, school, or play. The symptoms should manifest in the early years of the early years of childhood, usually before the age of 12. They aren't caused by a mental health issue.
Psychometric and neuropsychological tests to measure IQ, cognitive functioning and brain function can improve the accuracy and sensitivity of ADHD assessments. However, they should only be used as part of an assessment plan that includes a clinician interview as well as rating scales. These assessments may include the administration of a standardized questionnaire, such as the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA), or a computer-based adaptive testing method that allows for measurement of responses speed short-term memory, executive functions. In the future the use of digital technology like virtual reality for continuous performance tests and sensors for head movement could help to improve ecological validity of these ADHD assessment tools by permitting the person being evaluated to be immersed in their environment rather than sitting in an office for clinical evaluation.
Tests
Your physician or mental health professional may refer you to an expert if he or suspects ADHD. A complete evaluation will include an extensive interview, data from other sources such as your spouse or significant others and standardized behavior ratings scales for ADHD. The evaluator will recommend tests based on the clinical impression and will screen for conditions that could be affecting your symptoms. These include depression, learning disabilities, or a medical condition.
A thorough ADHD evaluation is required by the evaluator to determine whether your symptoms are significantly impairing your life and functioning. The impairment could occur in many different settings, like at home at work, at school, or with your social connections. The evaluator should ask how your symptoms have impacted your life in each of these settings. This will allow the evaluator make an assessment, and then formulate treatment suggestions.
In addition to the symptom ratings A comprehensive assessment usually includes one or more standardized performance test for ADHD. These tests are based on research which compares the behavior of people with ADHD and those without. These instruments can help overcome the limitations of a standard clinical interview because they focus more on specific behaviors rather than an individual's overall functioning. These tests can help assessors identify when a person is lying or attempting to cheat a test. This problem has been recognized by experts in the field for years.
In addition to the standard test and the symptom rating scales as well as the symptom rating scales, an extensive ADHD evaluation should include brain scans and other imaging techniques for the brain. However these tests aren't routinely used in a clinical setting due to the expense and expose the patient to radiation.