ADHD Diagnosis
Adults are more difficult to diagnose than children. A reliable diagnosis begins with a clinical interview by an expert in ADHD.
It is recommended to bring any medical or academic documents 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 conversation with a doctor. The evaluator will ask questions about the person's life and childhood, and might use checklists to note the symptoms of the individual. The evaluator will also go 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 suffers from multiple symptoms for at least 6 months, and that the symptoms manifest in more than one location like at home, school or at work. The evaluator will also be looking for other conditions that could trigger similar symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, or a thyroid condition.
In adults the evaluator will determine how severe the symptoms are and how they affect work or social life. The evaluator can also inquire about what their feelings are about their symptoms and whether they affect their daily life.
Many people who have ADHD have trouble remembering whether their issues began in childhood or later. A specialist may interview people who are familiar with the individual, for example, their spouse, sibling, or parent for an adult, or a teacher or parent for a child. The examiner may utilize checklists for adults and for children the list of behaviours to look out for.
In contrast to the past, the current guidelines for diagnosing ADHD indicate that an adult shouldn't be diagnosed with ADHD in the event that symptoms appeared prior to the age of 12. This change is meant to prevent people with ADHD who were diagnosed as children from being mistakenly diagnosed with other disorders, such as depression and anxiety.
Medical History
If you suspect that you or your child has ADHD the first step is to find an expert who can conduct an exhaustive evaluation. Ask your personal physician or a local mental health care specialist for recommendations, or look in the phone book for "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also contact an adult support group with ADHD since they've worked with local experts who are able to provide recommendations.
A healthcare professional will look over a person's medical history and background information regarding the family during the ADHD diagnostic assessment. They will inquire about the effects of the symptoms on functioning in different settings such as at home, work or in relationships. It is important to determine the severity of the symptoms since the APA's guidelines for 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 parents siblings, friends, and parents who are familiar with him. Some professionals will have people complete questionnaires or fill out rating scales, including ADHD symptom checklists and standardized behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers can be valuable sources of information as well.
The APA's Diagnostic Guidelines stipulate that symptoms must be frequent and affect performance. This is crucial because other disorders, such as mood disorders and learning disabilities, may present similar to ADHD (Austerman, 2015). Additionally, a medical exam may be conducted to determine other causes that could be causing the symptoms, including thyroid problems, vision and hearing problems or the use of certain drugs such as stimulants or sedatives.
adhd diagnostic assessment
In certain instances there is a history of ADHD in the family could be a major factor in the determination of a diagnosis. It is highly inherited and a thorough review of the patient's and their relatives' histories will help determine if there is any pattern of inheritance in the family.
It is crucial that healthcare professionals have a complete understanding of the symptoms of their patients, such as whether or not they are present at work, in school, or social situations. A doctor must also determine the degree to which a person's symptoms interfere with everyday functioning. This is a more reliable method than simply examining the number of symptoms or looking at the patient's IQ.
A doctor can interview teens or children, and also the parents. In many instances psychiatrists or pediatricians specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. For adults, a detailed interview is required by a mental health specialist who has a wealth of experience in ADHD and takes the time to examine each patient's presentation.
A thorough evaluation typically includes a physical examination, which can rule out specific medical conditions that could cause similar symptoms to ADHD. A complete medical history is also obtained. For children, this can include previous medical and school records, as well as an evaluation of the psychological state by school counselors or psychologists. For adults documents from school can be helpful in determining if symptoms started in childhood.
When diagnosing adults it is important to take into consideration how symptoms impact daily life. A thorough psychiatric exam may also be necessary that includes rating scales and questionnaires by the patient and his or her caregivers, a medical interview and referral for a medical exam. In addition psychometric or neuropsychological assessments is often used for adults to determine if the symptoms relate to learning disorders and other cognitive impairments.
Interviews
A professional will talk to you or your child regarding their issues at home, at school, and in the community. The provider will also ask about your or your child's previous medical or personal history, including family and friends and will review any documents you bring along including old school report cards. This information will allow the provider to decide if you or your child is required to undergo 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 at home and in school. The ratings should be given by people who know your child or yourself well, including teachers, coaches, Scouts, religious leaders and parents.
To be diagnosed with ADHD, children and adults must exhibit behavior that is debilitating and hinders everyday functioning in multiple environments, including school, work or play. The symptoms should manifest in the early years of the early years of childhood, usually before 12 years of age. They cannot be caused by any other mental health disorder.
Psychometric and neuropsychological tests to measure IQ, brain function, and cognitive functioning can improve the accuracy and precision of ADHD assessments. However, they should only be used as part of an assessment process that includes a clinical interview and rating scales. These assessments could involve the administration of a standard questionnaire like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA), or a computerized adaptive testing approach that allows for measurement of the speed of response, short-term memory and executive functions. In the near future, digital technology like virtual reality and head sensors that monitor head movements for continuous performance tests, could help improve the ecological validity by permitting people to immerse themselves in their natural surroundings instead of sitting in a clinic.
Tests
If your physician or mental health professional suspects ADHD the doctor might recommend you to an ADHD specialist. A thorough assessment should include an extensive interview, data from other sources, such as your spouse or significant other and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. The evaluator will order tests based on the clinical impression to screen for conditions that could affect your symptoms. This includes depression as well as learning disabilities or a medical condition.
In order to conduct an exhaustive ADHD assessment, the evaluator must determine whether your symptoms affect your daily life and function. The impairment can occur in many different settings, for example, at home, at work, in school, or in your social relationships. The evaluator needs to know what your symptoms have affected you in each setting. This will allow the evaluator to establish an assessment and formulate treatment recommendations.
A comprehensive assessment will comprise, in addition to rating of symptoms and standardized performance tests for ADHD. These testing instruments are based on research that compares the behavior of people with ADHD to those who do not. These instruments improve on the limitations of a traditional clinical interview because they focus more on specific behaviors rather than an individual's overall functioning. These measures can help evaluators detect when an individual is lying or attempting to cheat a test. This problem has been recognized in the field for many years.
A thorough ADHD assessment may include an examination of the brain or other neuroimaging tests in addition to the normal test and symptom-rating scales. However, these tests are not often used in a clinic setting due to the cost and expose patients to ionizing radiation.