ADHD Diagnosis
Adults are more difficult to identify than children. An accurate diagnosis begins with a consultation with an expert in ADHD.
It is recommended to bring any medical or academic records to your appointment. It's also helpful to bring ratings scales and interviews that provide information about your health issues.
Signs and symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis is based on physical examination and an interview with a physician. The examiner may inquire about a person's childhood and their family history and use checklists to document symptoms. The evaluator will also review the records of work and school and may also want to speak with teachers or other individuals who spend time with 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 been suffering from multiple symptoms for at least six months and occur in a variety of settings such as at school and at home. The evaluator will 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 their symptoms and the impact they have on social or work life. The evaluator will also ask how the person feels about the symptoms and how much they interfere with daily functioning.
Many people with ADHD are unable to recall when their problems 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 children. The examiner may employ checklists for adults, and for children, a list of behaviors to look out for.
Contrary to previous diagnostic guidelines An adult cannot be diagnosed with ADHD until symptoms begin to manifest before the age of twelve. This change is intended to prevent people with ADHD who were diagnosed as kids from being wrongly diagnosed as having other disorders, such as depression and anxiety.
Medical History
If you suspect that your child or yourself has ADHD The first step should be to speak with an expert who can perform an extensive evaluation. Ask your personal physician or an experienced local mental health professional for recommendations, or search the phone book under "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also contact an adult ADHD support group, since many of them have worked with local specialists who can offer referrals.
A healthcare professional will look over the medical history of a patient and family background during the ADHD diagnostic evaluation. They will inquire as to whether the symptoms affect functioning in various settings, such as at home, at work or with relationships. It is essential to determine how severe the symptoms are because the APA's guidelines for diagnosing ADHD state that the symptoms must result in significant impairment to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will generally interview the person, but they may also talk to parents, siblings and friends who know him well. Some professionals ask people to complete questionnaires or scales. They may also ask for ADHD symptoms checklists and ratings of behavior. Teachers and other caregivers can also be valuable sources of information.
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 important, as other conditions such as mood disorders or learning disabilities can be similar to ADHD (Austerman 2015). In addition, a medical exam may be conducted to determine other possible causes for the symptoms, including thyroid problems, vision and hearing issues, or the use of certain drugs like stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In some cases the presence of ADHD within the family may be a major factor the determination of the 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 establish whether there is a family pattern.
It is crucial that healthcare professionals get a complete picture about the symptoms of their patients, such as whether or not they happen in work, school or in social settings. A healthcare professional must also consider the extent to which the patient's symptoms interfere with everyday functioning. This is a better measure than simply counting symptoms or assessing the intelligence of a patient.
A doctor can interview a child or teen, and also their parents. In a majority of cases, a pediatrician or psychiatrist is specialized in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD. For adults, a thorough interview is required by a mental health specialist who has a wealth of experience in ADHD and takes the time to carefully evaluate each patient's presentation.
A thorough assessment includes a physical examination, which can help rule out certain conditions that could cause symptoms similar to ADHD. camhs adhd assessment is also required. For children, this may include previous medical and school records as well as an evaluation of the psychological state by a school counselor or psychologist. Old school records can be helpful for adults to determine if the symptoms started in the early years of childhood.
When diagnosing adults, it is crucial to look at how the symptoms affect daily functioning. A thorough psychiatric evaluation could be required, involving the use of questionnaires and rating scales by the patient and their caregivers, a clinical interview and referral for medical examination. Adults can also undergo a psychometric or neuropsychological test to determine the connection between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A provider will ask you or your child about their concerns at home, school and in the community. The provider will inquire about your or child's medical, family, and personal history, and will review any records you have, like old school report cards. This information will allow 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 usually taken over a period of six months, which includes both at school and home. The ratings should be provided by people who know your child or you well, including coaches, teachers, religious leaders, scouts and parents.
Children and adults who are diagnosed with ADHD are likely to exhibit symptoms that are debilitating, and can hinder their daily functioning at school, work, or play. The signs should be evident in childhood, usually before the age of 12. They cannot be caused by any other mental health disorder.
The sensitivity and precision of ADHD assessments can be enhanced by using psychometric and neuropsychological tests that test IQ and cognitive function. However, they should be utilized as part of an assessment plan that includes a clinical interview and rating scales. These assessments can involve the administration a standardized test, such as the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults or a computerized testing method that measures executive functions, short-term memories and reaction speed. In the future the use of digital technology like virtual reality for continuous performance tests and head movement sensors may aid in improving the ecological validity of these ADHD assessment tools by permitting the person being evaluated to be in their surroundings rather than in an office for clinical evaluation.
Tests
If your physician or mental healthcare professional suspects ADHD, he or she might recommend you to an ADHD specialist. A complete evaluation should include an extensive interview, data from independent sources like your spouse or significant others, and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. The evaluator will conduct tests according to the clinical impression to screen for conditions that could affect your symptoms. These could include depression as well as learning disabilities or a medical condition.
To conduct an accurate ADHD assessment, the evaluator must determine if the symptoms significantly impact your life and performance. Impairment can be in a variety of environments such as your home, work or school, as well as social interactions. The evaluator needs to know how your symptoms have impacted your life in each of these settings. This will assist the evaluator identify the cause and make treatment recommendations.
A complete assessment will include the rating of symptoms and standard performance tests for ADHD. These tests are based on research that compares the behavior of people suffering from ADHD and those who do not. These instruments enhance the limitations of a traditional clinical interview since they focus more on specific behaviors rather than an individual's overall performance. These measures can also help assessors determine if an individual is being disingenuous or attempting to cheat the test this issue has been recognized for many years in the field of neuropsychological testing.
In addition to the standard test and the symptom rating scales as well as the symptom rating scales, an extensive ADHD evaluation should include brain scans and other neurological imaging procedures. These tests are not utilized in clinical settings since they are costly and expose patients to ionizing radioactivity.