ADHD Assessment - What Happens When a Doctor Diagnoses ADHD?
To make an ADHD diagnosis, doctors examine your symptoms to determine whether they match the criteria set forth in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition (DSM-V). Most professionals also administer an interview for clinical purposes using one or more of the standardized ADHD rating scales.
Find an expert who is a specialist in ADHD diagnosis and covered by your insurance. Contact a local support group for a list of specialists.
Symptoms
When your pediatrician evaluates you for ADHD the doctor will ask questions about your symptoms and past history. The doctor will also examine you to look for physical causes of your problem, such as vision problems, hearing loss or an illness.
ADHD is characterized by difficulties staying focused or paying attention. This is often the cause of careless mistakes or failing to complete tasks (e.g., schoolwork or chores). Children and teens with ADHD have difficulty listening to others and be distracted or drowsy. These issues can lead to problems in the workplace as well as at home in relationships with adults who have ADHD.
Another symptom of ADHD is difficulty sitting down or remaining still for long periods of time. People who suffer from ADHD are prone to squirm, fidget or speed up when waiting for others or during meetings. They also may talk too much or interrupt others often.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition Text Revision of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5TR(tm), is used 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 review your behavior in various situations like at school or in other social settings. The doctor will speak with you and your family members, teachers and other caregivers about your behavior. They may also employ the standard ADHD symptom rating scales and checklists.
Your child could also undergo a physical exam or undergo tests for blood to rule out any other medical problems, such as an eye loss, hearing loss, or thyroid issue which can trigger similar symptoms. A mental health professional could also assess your child's capacity to follow instructions, focus and finish tasks.
Neuropsychological testing is not usually used to diagnose ADHD however it could be useful in certain circumstances. It involves measuring brain activity, such as beta waves, by using an EEG or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. get assessed for adhd suggest that those suffering from ADHD have less beta wave activity in the frontal lobes of their brains, and that they generate too many theta waves.
Diagnosis
A doctor can diagnose ADHD according to the symptoms of a patient and family history and the results of a range of screening and assessment tools. These include rating scales continuous performance tests, as well as neuropsychological testing batteries (Table I). It is important to understand the sensitivity and specificity of each instrument and the likelihood that the test will accurately identify people suffering from the disorder in comparison to those without.
Interviewing the patient is the initial step to assessing ADHD. This is an hour-long session with a specialist in which the patient will be asked about the symptoms they experience and previous experiences. A specialist can request caregivers and teachers to collect details, particularly when diagnosing children. The physician will go through medical and school records as well as request the child or teenager to complete questionnaires completed by teachers and parents.
For adults who are being assessed for ADHD the doctor might also request school records from the past to see if the person's symptoms began in childhood. He or she may also talk with the person's spouse, siblings and other friends about their experiences with the individual. A specialist may want to interview people who are familiar with the person, such as former teachers or religious leaders.
For an adult or adolescent be diagnosed with ADHD, the person must exhibit a variety of symptoms in a variety of situations, such as at school, home and work. These symptoms must interfere in the person's ability to function and cannot be explained by any other illness. For adolescents, the symptoms must be consistent and present from the time of their childhood. Adults must have at least five symptoms that persist for at least 6 months. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition Text Revision (DSM-5) provides guidelines for the diagnosis of the disorder.
Treatment
If your child or adult has been diagnosed with ADHD There are many options for treatment. These treatments may include medication, therapy for behavior or a mix of both. Your doctor and you will determine what is best for you based on how many symptoms your child has and how long they've had them. Your doctor will also rule out other conditions that could be causing the symptoms, like mental health issues like anxiety and depression or medical problems like thyroid issues.
If you or your child are struggling in school, it's essential to speak to your teacher about the issue. Teachers can detect ADHD symptoms in kids and determine if it's ADHD or something else.
The evaluation could consist of a clinical conversation, the completion of ADHD symptom lists and other questionnaires, psychological tests, information about your family and friends, and medical history. It is important to provide as many details about the issues your child or you are experiencing as you are able to. This will help your practitioner to understand the complexities and provide a precise diagnosis.
Adults and teens over the age of 18 will have a similar assessment process however symptoms will be evaluated differently since they're usually related to work and other activities. In addition to a detailed description of the issues and the underlying issues, your psychiatrist or psychologist will be looking to understand how these issues impact your daily life. For instance, do the problems affect your social or professional relationships? If yes what is the extent? Your physician will use this information to determine if your symptoms are mild, moderate or severe.
Psychosocial therapies are more effective than medications for adults suffering from ADHD. These treatments can teach you and your family more effective ways to manage your ADHD. For instance, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you learn how to change your negative thoughts and manage your emotions. Therapy for families and groups can help you develop new techniques and strategies that will improve your relationship with a spouse or partner. For children who are younger than the age of 18 the need for behavior training is a must before trying any medication. This includes parent education on how to manage children's behavior under 6 years of age and other forms of training and behavior therapy for teens and adults.
Follow-up
Like any diagnostic procedure, the results of an adhd test should always be interpreted and with the help of a qualified physician. This ensures that the person receives the correct treatment for their specific condition. It also minimises the risk of false positive results, when a test shows that someone has ADHD even though they don't. This could happen if a test used for an evaluation is not valid or the examiner doesn't have the necessary experience to interpret the results accurately.
The clinician will consider the beginning and duration of the symptoms, as well as how they compare with the mental age estimate (i.e. is the patient's behavior disproportionately "below" or over their age). They will also look at the time frame and duration of the symptoms as well in comparing them to a mental age estimate (i.e. is the patient's behavior disproportionately 'below' or 'above' for their age).
Neuropsychological testing is a great tool to assess ADHD symptoms, in addition to interviews with a psychologist and observation. Certain tests have been designed to assess the most important symptoms of ADHD such as hyperactivity, inattention and the tendency to be impulsive. The Quantified Behavior Test for children (6-12 years) and the Qb+(c) for adults (12 years and over) are two such tests. These tests use motion tracking systems that measure head movements and create measures of activity (i.e., the time spent moving more than 1 cm/s) distance, surfaces covered by movement as well as microevents (i.e. tiny movements above 1 mm). They also produce estimates of omissions and commission errors, two of the components of ADHD executive functioning issues.
It is vital that the clinician conducts a thorough assessment. They may inquire about the patient's health and the development history that dates back to their childhood, their education and work history, as well as family life, and alcohol and drug use, to identify any factors that could be contributing to the symptoms they are seeing. They will then apply a combination of the SWAN as well as the parent or patient evaluations and objective cognitive tests to establish their diagnosis.