ADHD Diagnosis
Adults are more difficult to diagnose than children. An accurate diagnosis begins with a thorough interview conducted by an expert in ADHD.
Bring any medical or academic records to your appointment. adhd assessments uk can bring questionnaires and rating scales to provide information about your symptoms.
Symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis requires physical examination and a discussion with a doctor. The examiner will ask questions about the person's life and childhood, and may use checklists to record the symptoms of the individual. The evaluator will also go through the person's school and work documents, and may want to speak with teachers or others who interact with them.
The evaluator will use the official lists of symptoms for inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity to determine whether the person meets diagnostic criteria. The criteria is that the person has several symptoms for at least 6 months and that the symptoms manifest in more than one setting like at home and at school or at work. The evaluator can also look for other conditions that could cause similar symptoms such as anxiety or depression.
Adults will be assessed to determine the severity of their symptoms and the impact they have on work or social life. The evaluator can also inquire about what their feelings are about their symptoms and whether or not they impact their daily activities.
Many people with ADHD cannot remember the exact date they began experiencing problems. A specialist will typically interview people who are familiar with the person, like their spouse, sibling or parent for an adult or a teacher parent for a child. The examiner may utilize checklists for adults and for children there is a list of behavior to look out for.
Contrary to the previous guidelines for diagnosing the adult can't be diagnosed with ADHD until symptoms are present prior to the age of 12. This change is designed to protect people who suffered from ADHD as children from being misdiagnosed as having other disorders like anxiety or depression.
Medical Histories
If you suspect your child or yourself suffer from ADHD the first step is to seek out an expert who can perform a thorough assessment. Ask your personal physician or an experienced local mental health professional for suggestions, or consult the phone book for "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also join an adult ADHD support group, as many of them have worked with local specialists who could provide recommendations.
During the ADHD diagnostic evaluation, a medical professional will look over the patient's medical and family history. They will inquire about how the symptoms interfere with functioning in various environments, like at home, at work, or in relationships. It is crucial to determine the severity of the symptoms, as the APA's guidelines for ADHD stipulate that the symptoms have to cause significant impairment in order to be considered a diagnosis.
The healthcare professional will speak with the patient, but may also ask for details from the patient's parents siblings, friends, and parents who know him. Some healthcare professionals will ask people to fill out questionnaires or rating scales, such as ADHD symptoms checklists and standardized behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers are often valuable sources of information as well.
The APA's Diagnostic Guidelines say that symptoms should be frequent and interfere with performance. This is essential because other disorders like mood disorders and learning disabilities may present similar to ADHD (Austerman, 2015). A medical examination can be done to determine if there are other possible causes of the symptoms. This could be thyroid issues and hearing or vision issues, or prescription medications such as stimulants and sedatives.
Family History
In certain cases there is a history of ADHD in the family can be a major factor in making a diagnosis. It is highly inherited and a look at the patient's and relatives' histories will aid in determining if there's any pattern of inheritance in the family.
It is important for providers to be able to see the full picture of the symptoms a patient is experiencing, regardless of whether they occur at work, school, or in social situations. A physician should also consider the degree to which symptoms interfere with the patient's daily activities. This is a more accurate measure than simply counting symptoms or looking at the intelligence of the patient.
A doctor may conduct an interview with a child or teen, as well as his or her parents. In many instances, a pediatrician or psychiatrist is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. For adults, a thorough interview is required by a mental health professional who has extensive experience with ADHD and takes the time to examine each patient's situation.
A comprehensive evaluation usually includes a physical exam which can rule out specific health conditions that may cause similar symptoms as ADHD. A complete medical history is also taken. For children, this could include previous medical and school records and a psychological evaluation by a school counselor or psychologist. For adults, old school records are often helpful in determining the cause of symptoms that began in childhood.
In the case of diagnosing adults with psychiatric disorders, it is particularly important to look at how the symptoms impact the daily activities. A thorough psychiatric exam might be required, which may include ratings scales and questions from the caregiver and patient in addition to an interview with a clinician and referral for a medical examination. Additionally psychometric or neuropsychological assessments is often used for adults in order to see how the symptoms relate to learning disorders and other cognitive impairments.
Interviews
A professional will ask you or your child questions regarding their problems at school, home and in the community. The provider will inquire about your child's medical, family, and personal history, and will review any records that you may have, like old school report cards. This information will help the provider decide if you or your child should take a test for diagnosing 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 six-month time period 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, Scouts, religious leaders and parents.
Adults and children who are diagnosed with ADHD have symptoms that are debilitating, and affect their daily activities whether at work, school or playing. The symptoms should manifest in the early years of early childhood, typically before the age of 12. They cannot be caused by any other mental health disorder.
The sensitivity and specificity in ADHD assessments can be enhanced by using psychometric and neuropsychological tests that measure IQ and cognitive performance. They should be used in conjunction with a clinician's assessment and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment strategy. These tests could include the administration of a standard questionnaire, such as the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA) or a computerized adaptive testing approach that can measure the speed of response short-term memory, executive functions. In the near future, technology that is digital like virtual reality and head movement sensors for continuous performance tests may help improve ecological validity by allowing people to be immersed into their natural environment instead of sitting in a clinic.
Tests
If your GP or mental health professional suspects ADHD the doctor might refer you to an ADHD specialist. A thorough assessment will consist of an extensive interview, data from other sources such as your spouse or significant others and the standardized scales of behavior ratings for ADHD. Based on the clinical findings the evaluator could also request tests to check for other conditions that may influence your symptoms, such as depression, learning disabilities or a medical condition.
A thorough ADHD assessment requires the examiner to determine if your symptoms are seriously affecting your life and performance. The impairment can occur in a variety of environments such as your work, home or school, and social relationships. The examiner will inquire about what your symptoms affected you in each circumstance. This will allow the evaluator to establish a diagnosis, and develop treatment suggestions.
A complete assessment will include, in addition to 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 don't. These instruments improve on the limitations of a traditional clinical interview because they focus more on specific behaviors than an individual's overall functioning. These measures can help assessors identify when a person is lying or trying to cheat a test. This problem has been recognized in the field for a long time.
A thorough ADHD assessment includes a brain scan or other neuroimaging procedures in addition to the standard test and symptom rating scales. These tests are not utilized in clinical settings because they are costly and expose patients to radioactive ionization.