ADHD Diagnosis
Finding out if you have ADHD in adults can be more difficult than diagnosing children. An accurate diagnosis begins with a clinical interview by an expert in ADHD.
Bring any medical or academic records with you to your appointment. It's also helpful to bring ratings scales and interviews that provide information about your health issues.
Signs and symptoms
A doctor will conduct a physical examination and interview you to determine if ADHD is present. The examiner may ask questions about the person's family history and childhood and utilize checklists to document symptoms. The evaluator can also look over the person's academic and work documents, and may want to speak with teachers or others who spend time with them.
The evaluator will use the official lists of symptoms for inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity to determine whether the person meets diagnostic criteria. These criteria include that the patient has a variety of symptoms for at least 6 months and that the symptoms manifest in more than one setting -- such as at home, work or school. The evaluator may also look for other ailments that can cause similar symptoms, for example anxiety, depression, or a thyroid issue.
In adults the evaluator will evaluate how severe the symptoms are and how they impact work or social life. The evaluator will also inquire about what the person's feelings are about the symptoms and how much they affect their daily life.
Many people suffering from ADHD are unable to recall the time when their issues began. A specialist may interview someone who is familiar with the person, like their spouse, sibling or parent for an adult or a teacher or parent of children. The examiner may use checklists for adults, and for children the list of behaviours to watch for.
Contrary to the previous guidelines for diagnosing An adult cannot be diagnosed with ADHD until symptoms are present prior to the age of 12. This change is designed to prevent people with ADHD who were diagnosed as children from being mistakenly diagnosed with other disorders, such as anxiety and depression.
Medical History
If you suspect that your child or yourself has ADHD, your first step should be to consult an expert who can perform an exhaustive evaluation. Consult your physician or a local mental health care specialist for recommendations, or search the phone book for "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also contact an adult support group with ADHD, as many of them have worked with local experts who can offer referrals.
During the ADHD diagnostic evaluation, a healthcare professional will look over the patient's medical and family history. They will ask about the effects of the symptoms on functioning in different settings such as at home, work, or in relationships. It is crucial to determine the severity of the symptoms, as the APA's guidelines on ADHD stipulate that the symptoms must cause significant impairment to be classified as ADHD.
The healthcare professional will typically interview the person, but they may also talk to siblings, parents and friends who know him well. Some healthcare professionals will ask patients to fill out questionnaires or scales. These include ADHD symptoms checklists and behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers are often valuable sources of information, too.
The APA's Diagnostic Guidelines stipulate that symptoms must be frequent and impact performance. This is important, as other conditions such as mood disorders or learning disabilities could present in a similar way as ADHD (Austerman 2015). In addition medical exams can be performed to check for other possible causes of the symptoms, like thyroid issues, vision or hearing problems or the use of certain drugs, such as stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In some cases, a history of ADHD in the family can be a significant factor in the determination of a diagnosis. It is highly genetically inherited, and a look at the patient's and relatives' histories can aid in determining if there is any family-related pattern.
It is important that providers have a complete picture of the symptoms of their patients, which includes whether or not they occur at work, in school, or social situations. A provider must also assess the extent to which a person's symptoms affect their daily functioning. This is a better measure than simply counting symptoms or looking at the IQ of the patient.
A doctor may interview the child or teen as well as the parents. In many cases, a psychiatrist or pediatrician specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. A mental health specialist with a vast knowledge of ADHD is required to conduct an in-depth interview for adults.
A comprehensive evaluation usually includes a physical examination, which can rule out specific medical conditions that could cause similar symptoms to ADHD. Home Page is also taken. For children, this may include prior medical and school records as well as an evaluation of psychological health by school counselors or psychologists. Old school records can be helpful to adults to determine if symptoms started in the early years of childhood.
When diagnosing adults it is important to consider how symptoms affect daily functioning. A thorough psychiatric exam might be required, which may include ratings scales and questions from the caregiver and patient and caregivers, as well as a clinical interview and referral for medical exam. Adults may also undergo a psychometric or neuropsychological assessment to determine the connection between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A provider will ask you or your child about their problems at home, school and in the community. The provider will inquire about your or child's medical and family history, and will also review any documents you might have, like old school report cards. This information will help the provider to decide if you or your child needs 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 typically taken over a period of six months, which includes both home and school. The ratings must be done by those who are familiar with your or your child's behaviors like teachers, religious and Scout leaders, coaches, and parents.
Children and adults diagnosed with ADHD are likely to exhibit symptoms that are debilitating and interfere with daily functioning whether at school, work 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 assess IQ and cognitive functioning. However, they should be used as part of an assessment plan that includes a clinician interview and rating scales. These assessments could involve the use of a standardized questionnaire like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA) or a computer-based adaptive testing method that can measure responses speed, short-term memory and executive functions. In the future digital technology, such as virtual reality and head motion sensors for continuous performance tests can help improve the validity of ecological tests by permitting people to immerse themselves into their natural environment instead of sitting in a clinic office.
Tests
Your doctor or mental health care professional may recommend you to specialists if he/she she suspects ADHD. A complete evaluation should include an extensive interview, details from independent sources such as your spouse or significant other, and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. The evaluator will conduct tests according to the clinical impression and will screen for conditions that could be affecting your symptoms. These could include depression or learning disabilities, or a medical illness.
To conduct a thorough ADHD evaluation, the evaluator must determine if the symptoms significantly impact your life and functioning. The impairment can occur in a variety settings that include your work, home or school, as well as social interactions. The evaluator should ask what your symptoms have affected you in each setting. This will allow the evaluator to make a diagnosis, and develop treatment suggestions.
A complete assessment will include in addition to symptoms ratings and standardized tests for performance for ADHD. These instruments for testing are based on research and compare the behavior of people suffering from ADHD to those without it. These instruments enhance the limitations of a standard clinical interview by focusing more on specific behavior rather than an individual's overall performance. These tests can also aid in identifying when an individual is lying or attempting to cheat on the test which has been recognized for many years in the field of neuropsychological testing.
A thorough ADHD assessment will include a brain scan or other neuroimaging procedures in addition to the standard test and symptom rating scales. These tests aren't used in clinical settings since they cost a lot of money and expose patients to radioactive ionization.