ADHD Assessment - What Happens When a Doctor Diagnoses ADHD?
To determine an ADHD diagnosis, doctors will review your symptoms to determine whether they fit the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-V). The majority of professionals also conduct an interview with a clinician using one or more standardized ADHD rating scales.
Find an expert who is a specialist in ADHD diagnosis and is covered by your insurance. Contact a local support group to find the names of experts.
Symptoms
If your pediatrician is evaluating you for ADHD the doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and past history. They will also examine you to determine the physical causes of your problem such as vision issues hearing loss, a deficiency in hearing or a medical condition.
ADHD is defined as difficulty paying attention or staying focussed. This can lead to careless mistakes and inability to complete tasks (e.g. chores or schoolwork). Teens and children who suffer from ADHD often have trouble listening to others and can be distracted or snoozing. These issues can cause issues in the workplace as well as at home in relationships among adults with ADHD.
Another ADHD sign is the inability to sit or be still for long periods of time. People who suffer from ADHD are prone to fidget, pacing or squirm while waiting for others to show up or during a meeting. They may also talk too much or interrupt others often.
Doctors use the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition Text Revision (DSM-5-TR(tm)), to guide 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.
To diagnose ADHD Your pediatrician will look at how you behave in various settings like at school, or in other social settings. The doctor will speak with you and your family, teachers and other caregivers about your behavior. They may also employ standard ADHD symptoms rating scales and checklists.
Your child could also be subjected to physical examinations or blood tests to rule out any other medical issues such as thyroid disorder, a vision issue, or a hearing loss. A mental health professional could also test your child's ability to follow instructions, concentrate and finish tasks.
Neuropsychological testing is not usually used to diagnose ADHD however it could be helpful in some situations. It is the process of measuring brain activity, including beta waves with an EEG scan or magnetic resonance image (MRI). Certain studies suggest that ADHD patients have less beta-wave activity in their frontal lobes. Additionally, they produce too many theta-waves.
Diagnosis
A doctor is able to diagnose ADHD by examining the patient's symptoms, his or her family history, and the results of various screening and assessment tools. These include rating scales continuous performance tests, as well as neuropsychological testing batteries (Table I). For each tool it is crucial to know its sensitivity and specificity - the probability that the test is able to identify those suffering from the disorder versus those who don't.
Interviewing the patient is the initial step in diagnosing ADHD. It is a one-hour session with a therapist, during which the patient will be asked questions about his or her symptoms and previous experiences. A specialist can ask caregivers, teachers and other educators to gather information, especially when diagnosing children. The doctor will look over medical and school records, and also ask the child or teenager to fill out questionnaires that are completed by educators and parents.
The doctor may also ask for the school records of previous people being assessed for ADHD to determine if the symptoms began in the early years of childhood. They may also talk with the person's spouse, children and other family members about their experiences with the person. A specialist may also decide to interview other people who know the individual, such as Scout and religious leaders, or former teachers, in order to gain insight into how the individual interacts in various environments.
To be diagnosed with ADHD in an adult or teenager the person must exhibit multiple symptoms in a variety of environments, such as at school, home and at work. These symptoms must hinder the ability of the individual to perform and cannot be explained by other illness. For adolescents the symptoms must be present and consistent from the time of their childhood. Adults must show at least 5 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) provides criteria for diagnosing the disorder.
Treatment
There are a variety of treatments available if your child or adult is diagnosed with ADHD. These may include therapy, medication or a combination of both. Your doctor and you will decide what is right for you based on how many symptoms your child is experiencing and how long they've had them. Your doctor will also rule out other issues that could be causing symptoms, such as mental health conditions like anxiety and depression or medical issues like thyroid disorders.
It is important to talk to your child's teacher if he/she is having difficulty in school. Teachers often spot ADHD symptoms in children, and they can help determine if the problems are due to ADHD or a different cause.
Your assessment will likely consist of a clinical interview, completion of ADHD symptoms checklists, as well as other questionnaires including medical history, psychological tests and information about family members and friends. It's important to provide as much information about the difficulties your child or you are experiencing as you can. This will help your practitioner to understand the complexities and provide a precise diagnosis.
Adults and older teens have a similar assessment process however, symptoms will be evaluated differently since they're usually related to work and other activities. Along with a thorough description of the difficulties that you're experiencing, your psychiatrist or psychologist will want to know how these issues impact your daily life. For example, do the issues affect your social or professional relationships? How much, if at all? I Am Psychiatry will be used by your doctor to determine whether your symptoms are mild or moderate.
Psychosocial therapies for adults with ADHD are typically more effective than medications. These treatments can aid you and your family learn better ways to cope with your symptoms. For instance, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can teach you how to change your negative thoughts and manage your emotions. Therapy for families and groups can help you develop new techniques and strategies to improve your relationship with a spouse or partner. For children who are younger than the age of 18, behavior training is recommended prior to taking any medication. This includes parent training in behavior management for children until age six and other forms of training and therapy for older teens and adults.
Follow-up
Like any diagnostic procedure, the results of an adhd assessment must always be evaluated by with the help of a qualified physician. This ensures that the patient receives the appropriate treatment for their condition. This reduces the possibility of false positive results when a test indicates a person has ADHD when they do not. This can happen if the test used to evaluate is not valid or the examiner doesn't have the necessary experience to interpret the results correctly.
When analysing the results of an adhd test the physician will look at whether the symptoms are consistent with the patient's history and if they are sufficiently disruptive to their daily life. They will also look at the onset and persistence of the symptoms as well as how they compare with the mental age estimation (i.e. is the patient's behavior disproportionately 'below' or 'above' for their age).
In addition to interviews with a psychologist and observations, neuropsychological testing can be useful in the assessment of ADHD symptoms. Certain tests have been designed to assess the most important symptoms of ADHD including hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsive nature. Two of these tests are the Quantified Behavior test for children (6-12 year olds) and Qb+(c) for adults (12 years or more). These tests utilize motion-tracking technology to track head movements and generate indicators of activity, including the amount of time spent moving faster than 1 cm/s, distance and the surface covered, as well as microevents, like small movements that are greater than 1 mm. They also provide estimates of omissions and commission mistakes, two elements of ADHD executive functioning deficits.
It is essential that the clinician is able to conduct a thorough evaluation. They may inquire about the patient's health and developmental history going back to childhood, their school and work history, family life, and their alcohol and drug usage, to identify any factors which could be contributing to the symptoms they observe. The SWAN and parent or patient ratings, and objective cognitive tests will be used to determine a diagnosis.