ADHD Diagnosis
Finding out if you have ADHD in adults can be trickier than diagnosing ADHD in children. An interview with a clinical ADHD expert is the first step towards an accurate diagnosis.
It is recommended to bring any medical or academic records to your appointment. It's also helpful to bring rating scales and interviews that provide information regarding your symptoms.
Signs and symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis is based on a physical exam and a discussion with a doctor. The evaluator might ask questions about a person's family history and childhood and utilize checklists to record symptoms. The evaluator may also look over the records of work and school and may wish to speak with teachers or others 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. These criteria include that the person has several symptoms that last for at least 6 months, and that the symptoms occur in more than one setting like at home, at school or at work. The evaluator may also check for other conditions that may cause similar symptoms, such as depression or anxiety.
Adults will be evaluated to determine the severity of their symptoms and their impact on their work or social lives. The evaluator might also ask the individual what their feelings are about their symptoms and whether they impact their daily life.
Many people suffering from ADHD are unable to recall when their problems began. Because of this, a specialist will usually interview someone who knows the person well like siblings or spouses for an adult, or a parent or teacher for a child. The evaluator might utilize checklists for adults and for children, a list of behaviors to watch for.
Contrary to the previous guidelines for diagnosing, an adult cannot be diagnosed with ADHD until symptoms begin to manifest before the age of twelve. This change is meant to protect people who suffered from ADHD as children from being misdiagnosed as having other disorders such as depression or anxiety.
Medical History
If you suspect your child or yourself suffer from ADHD, your first step is to consult an expert who can perform a thorough assessment. Ask your doctor or a mental health professional in your area for recommendations, or search the phone book for "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 recommendations.
A healthcare professional will review a person's medical history and family background during the ADHD diagnostic assessment. They will inquire about the effects of the symptoms on functioning in different settings such as at work, home, or in relationships. It is crucial to determine the severity of the symptoms, as the APA's guidelines on ADHD stipulate that the symptoms have to cause significant impairment in order to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will typically interview the patient, however, they might also request to speak to the person's parents, siblings and friends who are familiar with him. Some professionals will have people complete questionnaires or ratings scales, including ADHD symptom checklists and standardized behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers are often helpful sources of information too.
The APA's Diagnostic Guidelines say that symptoms must be frequent and impact performance. This is crucial because other conditions, such as mood disorders and learning disabilities may be similar to ADHD (Austerman, 2015). how much does an adhd assessment cost can be done to determine if there are any other possible reasons for the symptoms. These include thyroid problems as well as hearing or vision issues, or medications such as stimulants and sedatives.
Family History
In some cases there are instances where an ancestor's history of ADHD is a crucial element in determining if you have the diagnosis. It is a hereditary condition, and a thorough examination of the patient's and relatives history can help determine if there is a familial pattern.
It is important for providers to get a complete picture of a patient's symptoms, regardless of whether they occur at work, school or in social situations. A doctor must also determine the degree of how a patient's symptoms affect their daily functioning. This is a more accurate measure than simply looking at the number of symptoms or examining the patient's intelligence.
For teenagers and children, a doctor may interview the teen or child and their parents. In many cases, a pediatrician or psychiatrist is trained to evaluate and treatment of ADHD. A mental health professional with extensive experience in ADHD is required to conduct a thorough interview for adults.
A thorough assessment usually includes a physical examination, that can rule out certain medical conditions that could cause similar symptoms as ADHD. A complete medical record is also required. For children, this could include previous medical and school records, as well as a psychological evaluation by a school counselor or psychologist. For adults the old school records are often helpful in determining whether symptoms began in the early years of childhood.
In the case of diagnosing adults, it is especially important to examine how the symptoms affect the daily activities. A thorough psychiatric evaluation is also possible with regard to rating scales and questionnaires by the patient and his or her caregivers, a medical interview, and a referral for medical examination. Additionally, psychometric or neuropsychological assessment is sometimes used for adults in order to see how the symptoms are related to learning disorders and other cognitive impairments.
Interviews
A professional will talk to you or your child about their problems at home, school, and in the community. The provider will also inquire about your or your child's previous medical, family and personal history and will review any records you may bring with you including old report cards from school. This information will help the doctor to determine whether 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 cover both home and school. The ratings must be done by those who are familiar with your your child's behaviors, such as teachers and religious leaders, scout and scout leaders, coaches and parents.
To be diagnosed with ADHD, children and adults must exhibit behavior that is a source of distress and hinders everyday functioning in multiple environments, including school, at work, or at play. Symptoms must begin in the early years, typically before the age of 12. They aren't caused by another mental health problem.
The sensitivity and accuracy of ADHD assessments can be enhanced by using neuropsychological and psychometric tests that test IQ and cognitive functioning. They should be utilized alongside a clinician's assessment and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment strategy. These tests could include the administration of a standard questionnaire like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA) or a computerized adaptive testing approach that can measure the speed of response, short-term memory and executive functions. In the near future the use of digital technology like virtual reality for continuous performance tests and sensors for head movement may enhance the ecological reliability of these ADHD assessment tools by permitting the person being evaluated to be immersed in their environment instead of sitting in a clinical office.
Tests
If your doctor or mental healthcare professional suspects ADHD, he or she might refer you to an ADHD specialist. A thorough assessment will consist of an in-depth interview, information from other sources like your spouse or significant others and standardized behavior ratings scales for ADHD. The evaluator will recommend tests according to the clinical impression to check for any conditions that might be affecting your symptoms. This includes depression as well as learning disabilities or a medical illness.
To conduct an accurate ADHD evaluation, the assessor must determine if your symptoms have a significant impact on your life and functioning. The impairment can occur in many different settings, such as at home, at work, in school, or with your social relationships. The examiner should inquire about what your symptoms have affected you in each situation. This will allow the evaluator to establish an assessment and formulate treatment recommendations.
A comprehensive assessment will comprise in addition to symptoms ratings and standardized performance tests for ADHD. These tests 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 instead of assessing a person's overall performance. These measures can assist evaluators detect when an individual is lying or trying to cheat a test. This problem has been recognized by experts in the field for years.
A thorough ADHD evaluation includes a brain scan or other neuroimaging tests in addition to the typical test and symptom rating scales. However these tests aren't commonly used in a clinical setting because they are expensive and expose the patient to ionizing radiation.