ADHD Diagnosis
Finding out if you have ADHD in adults can be more difficult than diagnosing ADHD in children. An interview with a clinical ADHD expert is the first step in obtaining an accurate diagnosis.
Bring any medical or academic records to your appointment. It's also helpful to bring rating scales and interviews which can provide details about your health issues.
Signs and symptoms
A doctor will conduct a physical exam and interview you to determine if ADHD is present. The examiner will ask questions about the person's family history and childhood, and may employ checklists to record the symptoms of the individual. The evaluator may also review the person's academic and work records, and may wish to speak with teachers or others 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. Those criteria are that the person suffers from multiple symptoms that last for at least 6 months and that the symptoms occur in more than one place -- for example, at home, at school or at work. The examiner will also be looking for other conditions that can cause similar symptoms, such as depression, anxiety or a thyroid issue.
Adults will be assessed to determine the severity of their symptoms and their impact on work or social life. The evaluator might also ask the individual how they feel about their symptoms and if they impact their daily life.
Many people with ADHD are unable to recall the exact date they began experiencing problems. A specialist will often interview someone who is familiar with the individual, for example, their spouse, sibling or parent for an adult or a teacher or parent for children. The examiner may utilize checklists for adults and for children there is a list of behavior to be on the lookout for.
Unlike in the past, the current guidelines for diagnosing ADHD indicate that an adult shouldn't be diagnosed with ADHD in the event that symptoms appeared before age 12. This change is designed to avoid people suffering from ADHD who were diagnosed as children being misdiagnosed as having other disorders, for example, depression and anxiety.
Medical Histories
If you suspect that your child or yourself has ADHD The first step is to speak with an expert who will perform an exhaustive assessment. Talk to your doctor or mental health professional 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 will have worked with local specialists who are able to provide recommendations.
During the ADHD diagnostic assessment, a healthcare professional will review the person's medical and family history. They will inquire about how the symptoms interfere with functioning in various settings, such as at home, at work or with relationships. It is crucial to determine the severity of the symptoms, as the APA's guidelines for diagnosing ADHD note that the symptoms must result in significant impairment to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will talk to the patient, but may also seek information from his or her parents or siblings as well as friends who are familiar with him. Some healthcare professionals will ask people to complete questionnaires or fill out rating scales, which include ADHD symptoms checklists as well as standardized behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers are often helpful sources of information as well.
It is important to assess how the individual's symptoms affect in various situations, since the APA's diagnostic guidelines state that the symptoms must occur often and cause impairment to performance. This is vital, as other conditions like mood disorders or learning disabilities may be similar to ADHD (Austerman 2015). In addition an exam by a doctor could be performed to check for other possible causes for the symptoms, such as thyroid issues, vision or hearing issues, or the use of certain medications such as stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In certain cases there is a history of ADHD in the family could be a major factor in the determination of the diagnosis. It is highly heritable, and a review of the patient's and their relatives' histories can help determine if there is any family-related pattern.
It is essential that doctors have a complete picture of the symptoms of their patients, including whether or not they happen at work, in school, or social situations. A provider should also determine the degree to which symptoms affect the patient's daily activities. This is a more accurate measure than simply calculating symptoms or looking at the level of intelligence of the patient.
A doctor may conduct an interview with teens or children, and also their parents. In most cases, a pediatrician psychiatrist is specialized in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD. For adults, a thorough interview is required by a mental health specialist who has extensive experience with ADHD and has the time to evaluate the individual's symptoms.
A thorough assessment includes a physical exam, which helps to rule out certain conditions that could cause symptoms similar to ADHD. A complete medical history is also gathered. For children, this could include medical and school records, as well as a psychological evaluation by school counselors or psychologists. For adults documents from school are often useful in establishing whether symptoms began in the early years of life.
When diagnosing adults it is crucial to look at how the symptoms impact daily life. A thorough psychiatric evaluation is also possible, involving the use of questionnaires and rating scales by the patient and his or her caregivers, a medical interview and a referral to medical examination. In addition psychometric or neuropsychological assessments is often used for adults in order to see how the symptoms are linked to learning disorders and other cognitive impairments.
Interviews
A provider will interview you or your child about issues at home, at school, and in the community. The provider will also ask about your or your child's past medical, family and personal history and will review any records that you might bring along like old school reports. This information will enable the provider to decide if you or your child should to undergo an assessment 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 the course of six months, and include both at home and in school. The evaluations must be conducted by those who are familiar with your or your child's behavior like teachers and religious leaders, scout and Scout leaders, coaches and parents.
Children and adults who are diagnosed with ADHD have symptoms that are debilitating, and can hinder their daily functioning at school, work or playing. The symptoms must manifest in childhood, typically before age 12. They are not caused by any other mental health condition.
The sensitivity and specificity in ADHD evaluations can be improved by using neuropsychological and psychometric tests that test IQ and cognitive performance. They should be used alongside a clinician's assessment and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment plan. 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 can measure responses speed short-term memory, executive functions. In the future digital technology, such as virtual reality and head motion sensors for continuous performance tests could help improve the ecological validity by allowing people to be immersed in their natural surroundings instead of sitting in a clinic office.
Tests
Your GP or mental health care professional could recommend you to a specialist if he or they suspect ADHD. A thorough evaluation should consist of an extensive interview, data from independent sources like your spouse or significant other, and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. psychiatrist adhd assessment will recommend tests according to the clinical impression to check for conditions that could affect your symptoms. These include depression or learning disabilities, or a medical condition.
A thorough ADHD evaluation is required by the examiner to determine if your symptoms are significantly affecting your life and performance. The impairment could occur in many different settings, for example, at home at work, at school, or in your social relationships. The evaluator will ask you how your symptoms affected you in every situation. This will allow the evaluator to identify the cause and make treatment recommendations.
A comprehensive test will include the symptoms ratings and standardized performance tests for ADHD. These testing instruments are based on research comparing the behavior of people with ADHD with those without. They improve upon the limitations of the clinical interview by focusing on specific behavior rather than the overall performance. These measures can help assessors determine if an individual is being disingenuous or attempting to cheat the test which has been recognized for many years in the field of neuropsychological testing.
A thorough ADHD evaluation includes a brain scan or other neuroimaging procedures in addition to the typical test and symptom rating scales. These tests are not used in clinical settings because they are costly and expose patients to ionizing radioactivity.