ADHD Diagnosis
Diagnosing ADHD in adults can be trickier than diagnosing children. An interview with a clinical ADHD expert is the first step in obtaining getting a reliable diagnosis.
It is recommended to bring any medical or academic documents to your appointment. It's also helpful to bring rating scales and interview transcripts that can provide information about your symptoms.
Symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis is based on a physical exam and a conversation with a doctor. The examiner will ask questions about the person's family history and childhood, and might use checklists to record the person's symptoms. The evaluator may also look over documents from the workplace and school, and may also want to speak with teachers or other individuals 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 are that the person 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 examiner will also look for other conditions that may cause similar symptoms, like depression, anxiety or a thyroid condition.
In adults the evaluator will evaluate how severe the symptoms are and how they affect work or social life. The evaluator will also ask what the person's feelings are about their symptoms and how they interfere with daily functioning.
Many people with ADHD are unable to remember the time when their issues began. A specialist will often interview anyone who is familiar with the individual, for example, their spouse, sibling, or parent for an adult or a teacher or parent of the child. The evaluator might use checklists to assess adults, as well as a list with behaviors for children.
In contrast to the past, the current diagnostic guidelines indicate that an adult shouldn't be diagnosed with ADHD in the event that symptoms appeared before the age of 12. This change is meant to prevent people with ADHD who were diagnosed as kids from being misdiagnosed as having other disorders, like anxiety and depression.
Medical Histories
If you suspect that your or your child has ADHD the first step is to locate an expert who can perform an exhaustive evaluation. Contact your doctor or a local mental health care expert for suggestions, or consult the phone book under "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also reach out to an adult support group with ADHD, as they've worked with local experts who are able to provide referrals.
During the ADHD diagnostic evaluation, a medical specialist will examine the patient's medical and family history. They will inquire about the impact of the symptoms on the person's performance in various settings such as at work, home or in relationships. It is important to determine the severity of the symptoms, since the APA's guidelines for ADHD stipulate that the symptoms have to cause significant impairment to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will usually interview the patient, however, they may also talk to his or her siblings, parents and friends who know him well. Some healthcare professionals may ask patients to fill out questionnaires or rating scales, such as ADHD symptom checklists and standardized behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers can be valuable sources of information, too.
It is important to assess how the individual's symptoms affect in various settings, as the APA's diagnostic guidelines state that symptoms have to occur frequently and affect performance. This is important because other conditions, such as mood disorders and learning disabilities, can present similarly to ADHD (Austerman 2015). A medical exam may also be done to determine if there are other possible reasons for the symptoms. These could include thyroid issues as well as hearing or vision issues, or prescription medications such as stimulants and sedatives.
Family History
In some cases there are instances where a family history of ADHD is a key element in determining if you have an diagnosis. It is a highly inheritable condition, and a thorough study of the patient's as well as his or her relatives histories can help determine if there is a familial pattern.
It is essential that doctors get a complete picture about the symptoms of their patients, such as whether or not they are present in work, school or in social settings. A doctor must also determine the extent to which the patient's symptoms hinder their everyday functioning. This is a more accurate method than simply examining symptom counts or examining the patient's intelligence.
For children and teens, a doctor can interview the child or teen as well as their parents. In a majority of cases, a pediatrician or psychiatrist is specialized in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD. For adults, a detailed interview is required by a mental health specialist who has extensive experience with ADHD and is able to evaluate each patient's situation.
A thorough assessment includes a physical examination which helps to rule out certain conditions that can cause symptoms similar to ADHD. A complete medical record is also required. This could include school and medical documents as along with a psychologist's or school counselor's psychological assessment. For adults the old school records are often useful in establishing if symptoms started in the early years of childhood.
In the case of diagnosing adults, it's important to consider how symptoms affect daily functioning. A thorough psychiatric examination may be required, which includes rating scales and questions by the patient and caregivers in addition to a clinical interview and referral for medical exam. Adults can also undergo a psychometric or neuropsychological assessment to determine the relationship between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A professional will ask you or your child questions regarding their concerns at home, school and in the community. The provider will inquire about your child's medical personal, family, and medical history, and will also review any records that you may bring, such as old school report cards. This information will help the doctor to determine whether you or your child needs 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. how much does an adhd assessment cost are typically taken over the course of six months which includes both school and home. The ratings must be done by those who are familiar with your your child's behavior, such as teachers as well as religious and scout leaders, coaches 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, at work or playing. Symptoms must begin in the early years of childhood, usually before age 12. They are not caused by any other mental health disorder.
Psychometric and neuropsychological tests to measure IQ, brain function and cognitive functioning can enhance the sensitivity and specificity of ADHD evaluations. They should be utilized in conjunction with a physician's interview and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment strategy. These assessments could include the administration of a standard test, such as the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults or a computerized testing method that measures executive functions, short-term memory and speed of response. In the near future digital technology, such as virtual reality for continuous performance tests and sensors for head movement may aid in improving the ecological validity of these ADHD assessment tools by allowing the person being evaluated to be immersed in their environment rather than in the clinical office.
Tests
Your doctor or mental health care specialist may refer you to a specialist if he or she suspects ADHD. A complete evaluation will include a thorough interview, information from other sources such as your spouse or significant others and standardized behavior ratings scales for ADHD. The evaluator will recommend tests according to the clinical impression to screen for any conditions that may be affecting your symptoms. These could include depression, learning disabilities, or a medical condition.
A thorough ADHD evaluation is required by the examiner to determine if your symptoms are significantly impairing your life and functioning. The impairment can occur in a variety of environments such as your home, work or school, and social relationships. The examiner will inquire about how your symptoms affected you in each situation. This will enable the evaluator to establish an assessment and formulate treatment suggestions.
In addition to the symptom rating A complete assessment typically includes one or more performance tests that are standard for ADHD. These tests are based on research comparing the behavior of people suffering from ADHD with those without. They improve upon the limitations of the clinical interview by focusing on specific behaviors instead of assessing a person's overall functioning. These measures can also help assessors determine if an individual is lying or is trying to cheat the test, a problem that has been recognized for a number of years in the field of neuropsychological testing.
In addition to the standardized test and the symptom-rating scales and symptom rating scales, a thorough ADHD evaluation should include brain scans or other imaging procedures for neurological disorders. However these tests aren't often used in a clinic setting because they are expensive and expose patients to ionizing radiation.