ADHD Diagnosis
Finding out if you have ADHD in adults can be trickier than diagnosing children. An interview with a clinical ADHD expert is the first step towards a good diagnosis.
You should bring any medical or academic records to your appointment. You may bring questionnaires and rating scales to provide information about your symptoms.
Signs and symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis requires physical examination and a discussion with a physician. The evaluator may ask questions about the person's childhood and their family history and utilize checklists to document symptoms. The evaluator may also review the person's work and school records, and may also want to talk with teachers or other people who spend time 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 are that the individual must have had several symptoms for atleast six months, and that they occur in a variety of settings for example, at school and at home. The evaluator may also be looking for other conditions that could trigger similar symptoms, like anxiety, depression, or a thyroid condition.
Adults will be evaluated to determine the severity of symptoms and their impact on social or work life. The evaluator can also inquire about how they feel about their symptoms and if they affect their daily activities.
Many people with ADHD are unable to remember the time when their issues began. Because of this, the specialist will usually interview someone who knows the person well like siblings or spouses for an adult or an educator or parent for the child. The evaluator might employ checklists for adults, and for children the list of behaviours to watch for.
In contrast to the past, current diagnostic guidelines stipulate that an adult cannot be diagnosed with ADHD unless symptoms were present before age 12. This change is meant to stop people suffering from ADHD who were diagnosed as children being wrongly diagnosed as having other disorders, like depression or anxiety.
Medical Histories
If you suspect that you or your child is suffering from ADHD the first step is to find an expert who can perform an extensive assessment. Ask your doctor or a mental health professional in your area for recommendations, or look up the phone book by "psychiatry" and "psychology." You can also contact a support group for adults with ADHD, as many of them have worked with local experts who are able to offer referrals.
During the ADHD diagnostic evaluation, a healthcare professional will review the person's medical and family history. conversational tone will ask about the impact of the symptoms on functioning in different environments such as at work, home or in relationships. It is essential to determine the severity of the symptoms, as the APA's guidelines on ADHD stipulate that the symptoms require significant impairment in order to be classified as ADHD.
The healthcare professional will interview the patient, but they may also seek information from his or her parents siblings, friends, and parents who know him. Some healthcare professionals require patients to fill out questionnaires or scales. These may include ADHD symptoms checklists and ratings of behavior. Teachers and other caregivers are often useful sources of information, too.
It is crucial to determine how the individual's symptoms affect in various situations, since the APA's diagnostic guidelines state that symptoms have to occur frequently and impair performance. This is vital, as other conditions like mood disorders or learning disabilities may be similar as ADHD (Austerman 2015). In addition an exam by a doctor could be performed to check for other causes that could be causing the symptoms, including thyroid issues, vision or hearing issues, or the use of certain drugs like stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In some cases the presence of ADHD in the family could be a major factor in the determination of a diagnosis. It is a highly heritable condition, and a thorough study of the patient's as well as his or her family members histories can help determine whether there is a family pattern.
It is important that providers have a complete understanding of the symptoms of their patients, which includes whether or not they happen in work, school or in social situations. A provider should also determine the degree to which symptoms affect the patient's daily activities. This is a better measure than merely counting symptoms or assessing the level of intelligence of a patient.
A doctor can interview the child or teen and also the parents. In a majority of cases, a pediatrician or psychiatrist specializes in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD. A mental health specialist with a vast knowledge of ADHD is required to conduct a thorough interview for adults.
A comprehensive evaluation includes a physical examination, which can help determine certain conditions that can cause symptoms similar to ADHD. A complete medical history is also a must. For children, this could include previous medical and school records as well as an evaluation of the psychological state by school counselors or psychologists. For adults the old school records can be helpful in determining the cause of symptoms that began in childhood.
When diagnosing adults, it is crucial to look at how the symptoms impact daily life. A thorough psychiatric evaluation may be required, which includes rating scales and questions by the caregiver and patient in addition to an interview with a clinician and referral to a medical exam. Adults can also undergo a psychometric or neuropsychological test to determine the connection between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A professional will talk to you or your child regarding their problems at home, school, and in the community. The provider will inquire about your child's medical personal, family, and medical history, and will review any records you bring, such as old school report cards. This information will enable the doctor to determine if you or your child is required to take a test 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. These ratings are typically taken over a period of six months and include both school and home. The ratings should be provided by people who know your child or yourself well, such as coaches, teachers as well as Scouts, religious leaders and parents.
Children and adults diagnosed with ADHD have symptoms that are debilitating, and interfere with daily functioning, whether at work, school, or play. The signs must be evident in the early years of childhood, typically before age 12. They aren't caused by another mental health condition.
Psychometric and neuropsychological tests to measure IQ, brain function and cognitive functioning can improve the sensitivity and specificity of ADHD evaluations. However, they should only be used as part of an assessment plan that includes a clinical interview and rating scales. These tests could include the administration of a standard questionnaire, such as the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA) or a computerized adaptive testing approach that allows for measurement of responses speed, short-term memory and executive functions. In the near future, digital technology, such as virtual reality and head motion sensors for continuous performance tests can help improve the validity of ecological tests by permitting people to immerse themselves into their natural environment instead of being in a clinic.
Tests
If your doctor or mental healthcare professional suspects ADHD they might refer you to an ADHD specialist. A thorough evaluation will consist of a thorough interview, information from other sources, such as your spouse or significant others and standardized behavior ratings scales for ADHD. Based on the clinical findings the evaluator could also request tests to check for any other conditions that could influence your symptoms, such as depression, learning disabilities or a medical condition.
adhd assessment requires the evaluator to determine if your symptoms are seriously affecting your life and functioning. The impairment can occur in a variety of settings, for example, at home at work, at school, or in your social relationships. The examiner should inquire about how your symptoms have impacted you in each situation. This will allow the evaluator to make a diagnosis, and develop treatment suggestions.
A complete assessment will include the symptoms ratings and standardized tests for performance for ADHD. These testing instruments are based on research comparing the behavior of people with ADHD with those without. They enhance the effectiveness of a clinical interview by focusing on specific behaviors rather than a person's overall functioning. These measures can assist evaluators detect when an individual is lying or trying to cheat on a test. This problem has been recognized by experts in the field for a long time.
A thorough ADHD evaluation will include the brain scan or other neuroimaging tests in addition to the standard test and symptom rating scales. These tests aren't used in clinical settings since they cost a lot of money and expose patients to ionizing radioactivity.