ADHD Diagnosis
Adults are more difficult to identify than children. A good diagnosis starts with a consultation with an expert in ADHD.
You must bring any medical or academic records to your appointment. It's also beneficial to bring ratings scales and interviews that can provide information regarding your symptoms.
Signs and symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis is based on a physical exam and an interview with a physician. The examiner may inquire about a person's family history and childhood and utilize checklists to document symptoms. The evaluator will also review the records of work and school and may also want to speak with teachers or others who interact 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 that they occur in a variety of settings, for example, at school or at home. The evaluator can also look for other conditions which can cause similar symptoms such as anxiety or depression.
Adults will be evaluated to determine the severity of symptoms and their impact on work or social life. The evaluation will also inquire how the individual feels about his or her symptoms and how they impact daily life.
Many people who suffer from ADHD struggle to remember if their problems started in the beginning or later. This is why an expert will typically interview someone who knows the person well like an adult sibling or spouse for an adult or a parent or teacher for the child. The examiner may employ checklists for adults, and for children there is a list of behavior to watch for.
Contrary to the previous guidelines for diagnosing the adult can't be diagnosed with ADHD until symptoms are present before the age of twelve. This change is meant to avoid people suffering from ADHD who were diagnosed as children being misdiagnosed as having other disorders, like depression or anxiety.
Medical History
If you suspect that you or your child has ADHD The first step is to find an expert who can provide a thorough examination. Contact your doctor or an experienced local mental health specialist for suggestions, or consult the phone book for "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also contact an adult ADHD support group, since many of them have worked with local specialists who can provide recommendations.
A healthcare professional will review a person's medical history and family history during the ADHD diagnostic assessment. They will inquire about how the symptoms affect the person's performance in various settings, like at work, at home or in relationships. It is crucial to determine the severity of the symptoms since the APA's guidelines for ADHD state that symptoms require significant impairment to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will talk to the patient, but may also seek information from parents siblings, friends, and parents who are familiar with him. Some healthcare professionals require patients to fill out questionnaires or scales. adhd assessment uk may include ADHD symptoms checklists and ratings of behavior. Teachers and other caregivers can be valuable sources of information.
The APA's Diagnostic Guidelines stipulate that symptoms should be frequent and interfere with performance. This is crucial because other disorders, such as mood disorders and learning disabilities, can present similarly to ADHD (Austerman, 2015). Additionally, a medical exam may be performed to identify other possible causes for the symptoms, like thyroid problems, vision and hearing issues, or the use of certain drugs like stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In some cases, a family history of ADHD is a major element in determining if you have an diagnosis. It is highly inherited and a thorough review of the patient's and relatives' histories will aid in determining if there is any family-related pattern.
It is important for providers to be able to see the full picture of the patient's symptoms including whether they occur at school, work, or in social situations. A healthcare professional must also consider the degree to which a person's symptoms affect their daily functioning. This is a more accurate measure than simply calculating symptoms or examining the level of intelligence of patients.
For children and teens doctors may conduct an interview with the teen or child and his or her parents. In many cases, a pediatrician or psychiatrist is specialized in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD. A mental health specialist with extensive experience in ADHD is required to conduct a detailed interview for adults.
A comprehensive evaluation usually includes a physical examination, that can rule out certain health conditions that can cause similar symptoms as ADHD. A complete medical history is also required. For children, this can include prior medical and school records, as well as an evaluation of psychological health by school counselors or psychologists. For adults, old school records are often useful in establishing the cause of symptoms that began in the early years of life.
When diagnosing adults it is important to consider how symptoms impact daily life. A thorough psychiatric evaluation could be required, which may include ratings scales and questions from the patient and caregivers in addition to a consultation with a doctor and referral to a medical examination. Adults may also undergo a psychometric or neuropsychological assessment to determine the connection between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A healthcare professional will ask you or your child questions regarding their problems at school, home and in the community. The doctor will also inquire about the child's or yours's medical and personal history, as well as family and personal histories and will look over any records that you might bring along, such as old school report cards. This information will enable the doctor to determine whether you or your child is required to take 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. The ratings are typically conducted over a period of six months, which includes both at home and school. The ratings should be given by those who know your child or yourself well, such as teachers, coaches and Scouts, religious leaders and parents.
Children and adults who are diagnosed with ADHD are likely to exhibit symptoms that are debilitating, and interfere with daily functioning at school, work or playing. The symptoms should manifest in the early years of the early years of childhood, usually before 12 years of age. They can't be caused by a mental health problem.
Psychometric and neuropsychological tests to measure IQ, brain function, and cognitive functioning can improve the accuracy and sensitivity of ADHD assessments. They should be used in conjunction with a physician's assessment and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment strategy. These tests could include the administration of a standardized questionnaire like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA) or a computerized adaptive testing approach that measures responses speed, 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 could enhance the ecological reliability of these ADHD assessment tools by giving the person being assessed to be immersed in their surroundings instead of sitting in the clinical office.
Tests
Your physician or a mental health professional could refer you to specialists if he/she suspects ADHD. 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 and will screen for conditions that could affect your symptoms. These include depression, learning disabilities, or a medical condition.
To conduct a thorough ADHD assessment, the evaluator must determine if the symptoms affect your daily life and function. The impairment can occur in a variety of environments that include your workplace, home or school, as well as social interactions. The evaluator will ask you how your symptoms affected you in each situation. This will allow the evaluator to identify the cause and make treatment recommendations.
A comprehensive assessment will comprise in addition to rating of symptoms and standardized tests for performance for ADHD. These tests are built on research which compares the behavior of people suffering from ADHD and those who do not. These instruments improve on the limitations of a standard clinical interview by focusing more on specific behaviors rather than an individual's overall performance. These measures can assist evaluaters determine if a person is lying or attempting to cheat on a test. This issue has been recognized in the field for years.
In addition to the standard test and the symptom rating scales and symptom rating scales, a thorough ADHD evaluation should include brain scans and other neurological imaging procedures. However these tests aren't often used in a clinic setting due to the expense and expose the patient to ionizing radiation.