ADHD Assessment - What Happens When a Doctor Diagnoses ADHD?
To determine an ADHD diagnosis, doctors will review your symptoms to see if they meet the criteria set forth in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-V). Most professionals will conduct a clinical interview based on one or more ADHD rating scales.
It's best to find a specialist who is specialized in diagnosing ADHD and is covered by your insurance plan. Contact a local support group to find the names of specialists.
Signs and symptoms
Your pediatrician will ask questions about your symptoms and the past. He or she may also examine you to determine the root cause of your problem. This could be a hearing loss, vision issue, or illness.
The main characteristic of ADHD is difficulty paying attention or staying focused. This is often the cause of making mistakes that are not made or failing to complete tasks (e.g. schoolwork, homework or chores). Teens and children with ADHD frequently have trouble listening to others and are often distracted or even daydreaming. These issues can lead to difficulties in the workplace as well as at home in relationships among adults with ADHD.
Another symptom of ADHD is difficulty sitting still or remaining silent for long periods. Some people who suffer from ADHD have trouble concentrating, squirming or jog while waiting for others or in a meeting. They might also be too loud and interrupt others often.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition Text Revision of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5TR(tm), is utilized by doctors to make their diagnoses. They assess whether a person has at least six traits of inattention or hyperactivity/impulsivity to determine what type of ADHD they have.
Your pediatrician will examine your behavior in different situations like at school or in other social situations. The doctor will speak with you and your family, teachers and other caregivers about your behavior. They may also employ the standard ADHD scales for assessing symptoms and checklists.
Your child may also be subjected to a physical examination or blood tests in order to eliminate any other medical conditions such as thyroid disorder, a vision problem, or a hearing loss. A mental health professional will test your child’s ability to concentrate on the task at hand, follow directions and complete tasks.
assessment of adhd is not usually used to diagnose ADHD, but it may be helpful in some situations. It involves measuring brain activity, such as beta waves using an EEG scan or a magnetic resonance image (MRI). Some studies suggest that individuals who suffer from ADHD have lower beta wave activity in the frontal lobes of their brains, and that they produce too many theta waves.
Diagnosis
A doctor can determine ADHD by examining a patient's symptoms, their family history and the results of various assessment and screening tools. There are many tools that can be used to diagnose ADHD, including rating scales and continuous performance tests. For each tool it is essential to determine its sensitivity as well as specificity - the likelihood that the test correctly identifies those who have the disorder as opposed to those who do not.
The first step to determine ADHD is to talk with the patient. This is a one to two-hour appointment with a clinician that will ask questions about the patient's symptoms and his or her experience with them. A specialist may request caregivers and teachers to help gather information, especially when diagnosing children. The doctor will look over the medical and school records as well as ask the child or teen to fill out questionnaires that are completed by teachers and parents.
The clinician may also ask for school records from adults being assessed for ADHD to determine if the symptoms began in the earliest years of childhood. The doctor could also talk to the person's spouse, children and other acquaintances about their experiences with the person. A specialist might want to interview people who know the person well like former teachers or religious leaders.
To be diagnosed with ADHD in an adult or teenager they should exhibit a variety of symptoms in a variety of environments, such as at school, home, and work. These symptoms must interfere with the person's functioning and cannot be explained by another condition. For adolescents, symptoms must have been present in childhood and be consistent over time. Adults must have at minimum five ongoing symptoms for a minimum of 6 months. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition Text Revision (DSM-5) offers criteria for diagnosing the disorder.
Treatment
There are a variety of treatments available when your child or adult is diagnosed with ADHD. This could include behavioral therapy, medication or a combination of both. Your doctor and you will decide on the best option for your child based upon their symptoms and how long they've been experiencing them for. Your doctor will also rule out other conditions that could be the cause of the symptoms, like mental health issues like depression and anxiety, or medical conditions like thyroid disorders.
It is crucial to speak with your child's teacher if he/she is having difficulty in school. Teachers can spot ADHD signs in children and determine if it's ADHD or something else.
Your evaluation may include a conversation with a clinician and the completion of ADHD symptoms lists and other questionnaires as well as psychological tests, information about your family and friends, as well as medical background. It is important to provide as much detail about the difficulties you or your child are experiencing as you are able to. This will help your practitioner be aware of the complexity of your situation and make an accurate diagnosis.
Adults and teenagers undergo a similar process of assessment, but their symptoms will be evaluated differently due to the fact that they are typically connected to their work and other pursuits. Your psychiatrist or psychologist may also ask you to explain the issues and how they affect your life. For example, do the issues affect your social or work relationships? If yes what is the extent? Your physician will make use of this information to determine if your symptoms are mild, moderate or severe.
Psychosocial therapies for adults with ADHD are generally more effective than medication. These treatments can teach your family and you more effective ways to manage your ADHD. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), for example can help you overcome negative thoughts and manage emotions. Group and family therapy can help you learn new skills and strategies to improve your relationship with your spouse or partner. For adolescents and younger children the need for behavior training is a must prior to attempting any medication. This includes parent training in the management of children's behavior until age 6 and different forms of behavior therapy and training for older teens and adults.
Follow-up
As with any diagnostic procedure, the results of an adhd test must always be evaluated by a qualified doctor. This ensures that the patient receives the right treatment for their condition. This also reduces the chance of false positive results, if tests show that the person has ADHD when they don't. This can happen if the test that is used for evaluating is not valid or if the examiner doesn't have the necessary experience to interpret the results accurately.
When interpreting the results of an assessment for adhd, the clinician will determine if the symptoms are consistent with the person's history and if they are disruptive to their life. They will also take into consideration the time frame and duration of the symptoms, as well being able to compare them with an estimate of mental age (i.e. is the patient's behaviour disproportionately either 'below' or 'above' for their age).
In addition to the clinical interview and observations, neuropsychological tests can be beneficial in assessing ADHD symptoms. Certain tests have been specially designed to test the main symptoms of ADHD: inattention, hyperactivity and an impulsive nature. Two such tests are the Quantified Behavior test for children (6-12 year olds) and Qb+(c) for adults (12 years old or older). These tests utilize motion-tracking technology to measure head movement and produce measures of activity, including the time spent moving at a speed greater than 1 cm/s, distance and surface covered, and microevents, like tiny movements of more than 1 mm. They also produce estimates of omissions and commission mistakes, two elements of ADHD executive functioning problems.
It is crucial that the physician conducts a thorough assessment. They'll likely inquire about the person's health and developmental history going back to their childhood, their education and work history, family life, and their alcohol and drug use, in order to determine the causes which could be contributing to the symptoms they are observing. The SWAN, ratings from parents or patients and cognitive tests that are objective will be utilized to establish a diagnosis.