ADHD Diagnosis
Finding out if you have ADHD in adults can be trickier than diagnosing ADHD in children. A good diagnosis starts with a clinical interview by an expert in ADHD.
You must bring any medical or academic documents to your appointment. It's also beneficial to bring rating scales and interview transcripts that provide information regarding your symptoms.
Symptoms
A doctor will conduct a physical examination and interview you to determine if ADHD is present. The evaluator might ask questions about the person's family history and childhood and utilize checklists to record symptoms. The evaluator will also go through the person's school and work records, and may also want to speak with teachers or other individuals 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. Those criteria are that the person has several symptoms for at least six months and that the symptoms are present in more than one place like at home, work or school. The evaluator could also check for other conditions that may cause similar symptoms such as depression or anxiety.
Adults will be assessed to determine the severity of symptoms and their impact on their work or social lives. The evaluator may also inquire about what their feelings are about their symptoms and if they interfere with their daily functioning.
Many people suffering from ADHD cannot remember when their problems began. Because of adhd assessments near me , the specialist will usually interview someone who is familiar with the person like siblings or spouses for an adult, or a parent or teacher for the child. The evaluation expert may use checklists to evaluate adults, as well as a list with the behaviors that children exhibit.
Unlike in the past, the current guidelines for diagnosing ADHD stipulate that an adult cannot be diagnosed with ADHD unless symptoms were present prior to the age of 12. This change is meant to protect people who suffered from ADHD as children from being misdiagnosed as having other disorders, such as depression or anxiety.
Medical History
If you suspect that your or your child is suffering from ADHD the first step is to find an expert who can provide a thorough evaluation. Consult your physician or an area mental health expert for recommendations, or look in the phone book for "psychiatry" or "psychology." You can also join an adult support group with ADHD since many of them will have worked with local experts who are able to offer referrals.
A healthcare professional will look over the person's medical history as well as family background during the ADHD diagnostic assessment. They will inquire about how the symptoms affect functioning in different environments, like at work, at home, or in relationships. It is important to assess how severe the symptoms are in light of the APA's diagnostic guidelines for ADHD stipulate that the symptoms have to cause significant impairment to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will interview the patient, but may also ask for details from the patient's parents or siblings as well as friends who are familiar with him. Some professionals ask people to complete questionnaires or scales. These include ADHD symptom checklists and ratings of behavior. Teachers and other caregivers can be important sources of information.
The APA's Diagnostic Guidelines say that symptoms should be frequent and affect performance. This is crucial, since other conditions such as mood disorders or learning disabilities can appear similar to ADHD (Austerman 2015). In addition medical exams can be performed to identify other causes that could be causing the symptoms, such as thyroid issues, vision or hearing issues, or the use of certain drugs like stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In certain instances there is a history of ADHD within the family may be a significant factor in determining a diagnosis. It is highly heritable, and a review of the patient's and relatives' histories can help determine if there is any family-related pattern.
It is important that providers have a complete picture of the symptoms of their patients, such as whether or not they happen in school, at work, or social situations. A physician should also consider the extent to which symptoms interfere with a person's daily functioning. This is a more accurate measure than simply looking at symptom counts or examining the patient's intelligence.
A doctor can interview the child or teen and also his or her parents. In many cases, a pediatrician psychiatrist is specialized in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD. For adults, a thorough interview is required by a mental health professional who has extensive experience with ADHD and has the time to carefully evaluate each patient's presentation.
A thorough assessment includes a physical examination, which helps to rule out certain conditions that could cause symptoms similar to ADHD. A complete medical record is also taken. This can include medical and school records as in addition to a psychologist's or school counselor's psychological evaluation. For adults, old school records are often useful in establishing if symptoms started in childhood.
When diagnosing adults with psychiatric disorders, it is particularly important to examine how the symptoms impact the daily activities. A thorough psychiatric evaluation might be required, which includes ratings scales and questions from caregivers and patients in addition to a consultation with a doctor and referral to medical examination. In addition, psychometric or neuropsychological assessment is sometimes used for adults to determine if the symptoms are related to learning disorders and other cognitive impairments.
Interviews
A provider will ask you or your child about their concerns at home, school and in the community. The provider will also inquire about your or your child's past medical or personal history, including family and friends and will look over any records you may bring with you like old school report cards. This information will help the provider decide whether you or your child is eligible to take a test to diagnose 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 period, and include both school and home. The ratings should be provided by people who know your child or yourself well, including teachers, coaches, Scouts, religious leaders and parents.
Children and adults diagnosed with ADHD must exhibit symptoms that are debilitating and can hinder their daily functioning, whether at school, work, or play. Symptoms should start in the early years of childhood, usually before 12 years of age. They cannot be caused by any other mental health condition.
The sensitivity and accuracy of ADHD assessments can be enhanced through the use of psychometric and neuropsychological tests that measure IQ and cognitive function. They should be utilized alongside a clinician's interview and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment strategy. These assessments can involve the administration of a standard test, such as the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults, or a computerized testing approach which measures executive functions, short-term memories and reaction speed. In the near future, digital technology such as virtual reality for continuous performance tests and sensors for head movement could help to improve ecological validity of these ADHD assessment tools by giving the person being assessed to be immersed in their surroundings rather than sitting in the clinical office.
Tests
Your doctor or mental health professional may recommend you to an expert if he or they suspect ADHD. A complete evaluation should include an extensive interview, data from other sources, such as your spouse or significant other, and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. The evaluator will conduct tests based on the clinical impression to screen for conditions that could be causing your symptoms. These could include depression as well as learning disabilities or a medical condition.
A thorough ADHD evaluation requires the evaluator to determine if your symptoms are significantly affecting your life and functioning. It can happen in a variety of settings, including your work, home, school and social relationships. The examiner will inquire about how your symptoms affected you in every situation. This will allow the evaluator to establish an assessment, and then formulate treatment suggestions.
A comprehensive assessment will comprise the symptom ratings and standardized performance tests for ADHD. These tests are founded on research that compares the behavior of people suffering from ADHD and those who don't. These instruments enhance the limitations of a traditional clinical interview because they focus more on specific behaviors than an individual's overall functioning. These measures can help evaluaters determine if a person is lying or attempting to cheat on a test. This problem has been recognized by experts in the field for a long time.
A thorough ADHD assessment includes the brain scan or other neuroimaging tests in addition to the typical test and symptom rating scales. These tests aren't used in clinical settings because they are costly and expose patients to radioactivity ionizing.