ADHD Assessment - What Happens When a Doctor Diagnoses ADHD?
To make an ADHD diagnosis, doctors will review your symptoms to determine if they meet the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-V). A majority of professionals also conduct a clinical interview using one or more of the standardized ADHD rating scales.
It is best to find a specialist who is specialized in diagnosing ADHD and is covered by your insurance plan. Ask an organization that supports you locally for specialists.
Signs and symptoms
Your pediatrician will ask questions about your symptoms and the past. They might also conduct a physical exam to determine the physical reason for your issue. This could be a hearing loss, vision issue or illness.
ADHD is characterized by difficulty staying focused or paying attention. This often results in making mistakes that are not made or failing to complete tasks (e.g. schoolwork, schoolwork or chores). Teens and children with ADHD have trouble listening to others, and may appear distracted or daydreaming. These issues can lead to issues in the workplace or at home, as well as in relationships in adults with ADHD.
Another sign of ADHD is difficulty sitting down or being silent for long periods. People who suffer from ADHD fidget, squirm or speed up when waiting for others or during meetings. They also be too loud and interrupt others often.
Doctors rely on the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition Text Revision (DSM-5-TR(tm)), to help them diagnose. 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 such as school or other social settings. They will ask you as well as your family members as well as teachers and other caretakers to describe your behavior. They will also employ checklists and scales for ADHD symptoms.
Your child may be subjected to a physical examination or blood tests in order to rule out any other medical issues such as thyroid disorder, a vision issue or hearing loss. A mental health professional could also test your child's ability to follow instructions, concentrate and complete tasks.
Neuropsychological tests cannot be used to diagnose ADHD but they may help in certain situations. It involves analyzing brain activity, including beta waves with an EEG scan or magnetic resonance image (MRI). Certain studies suggest that ADHD patients are less active in beta waves in their frontal lobes. Additionally, I Am Psychiatry produce too many theta-waves.
Diagnosis
A doctor can determine ADHD by looking at a patient's symptoms, their family history and the results of different assessment and screening tools. These include rating scales as well as continuous performance tests. neuropsychological testing batteries (Table I). It is important to understand the specificity and sensitivity of each instrument - how likely it is that the test will correctly determine those suffering from the disorder, as opposed to those with the disorder.
The first step in evaluating ADHD is to conduct an interview 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 background. A specialist can also seek the assistance of teachers and other caregivers in gathering information, particularly when diagnosing children. The specialist will look over the child's medical and school records and request for them to complete questionnaires that teachers and parents have completed.
The clinician may also ask for school records from people being evaluated for ADHD to determine if symptoms began in the early years of childhood. The doctor may also speak to the spouse, siblings, and other friends of the individual about their experiences. A specialist may also decide to interview other people who are familiar with the person, such as Scout leaders and religious leaders or former teachers, in order to gain insights into how the person interacts in different settings.
To be diagnosed with ADHD in an adult or teen the person must exhibit multiple symptoms in a variety of settings, including at school, home, and work. These symptoms must affect the person's ability to perform and cannot be explained by any other medical condition. For adolescents, the symptoms must be present since childhood and persist throughout the years. For adults, he or she must have at minimum five ongoing symptoms and have been experiencing them for at least six 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
If your child or adult has been diagnosed with ADHD There are many treatment options. These may include behavioral therapy, medication or an amalgamation of both. You and your doctor will decide which is the best option for you based on the many symptoms your child is experiencing and how long they've had them. Your doctor will also rule out other things out that could be causing the symptoms, for instance mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, or medical problems like thyroid disorders.
It's important to speak to your child's teacher if you or he/she is having difficulty in school. Teachers can detect ADHD signs in children and determine if the issue is ADHD or something else.
Your assessment will likely consist of an interview with a psychologist, taking ADHD symptoms checklists, as well as other questionnaires including medical history, psychological tests and details about family members and acquaintances. It is essential to provide as much detail about the issues you or your child are having as possible. This will enable your physician to comprehend the complexity of your situation and help you make an accurate diagnosis.
Adults and older teens will undergo the same process of assessment, but their symptoms will be evaluated differently, as they are generally related to their work or other activities. Your psychologist or psychiatrist may be able to ask you to describe the issues and how they impact your life. Are the issues affecting your social or professional relationships, for example? How much, if all? This information will be used by your clinician to determine if your symptoms are moderate or mild.
Psychosocial therapies are more effective than medication for adults with 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 shift your negative thoughts and manage your emotions. Therapy for families and groups can help you learn new techniques and strategies that can improve your relationship with a spouse or partner. Before attempting any medication, behavior-training should be considered for children and adolescents. This includes training for parents on the management of children's behavior from the age of 6 and different forms of behavior therapy and training for older teens and adults.
Follow-up
As with any diagnostic process, the results of an adhd assessment should be reviewed and interpreted by a qualified clinician. This ensures the person receives the correct treatment for their condition. It also reduces the chance of false positives, when a test shows that a person has ADHD but they do not. This can happen if the test used in an evaluation is not valid or the examiner is not experienced enough to interpret the results correctly.
When interpreting the results of an adhd test the doctor will examine whether the symptoms are consistent with the patient's past and if they are sufficiently disruptive to their daily life. They will also look at the duration and onset of the symptoms and compare them to a mental age estimation (i.e. is the patient's behavior disproportionately "below" or "above" for their age).
In addition to clinical interviews and observations, neuropsychological tests can be helpful in assessing ADHD symptoms. Certain tests have been designed to assess the most important 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 use motion tracking systems to measure head movements and generate measurements of activity (i.e. the amount of the amount of time spent moving over 1 cm/s), distance and surface covered by movement as and microevents (i.e. tiny movements of more than 1 millimeter). They also produce estimates of omission and commission errors, two of the components of ADHD executive functioning problems.
It is crucial that the physician conducts a thorough evaluation. They will inquire about the person’s health and development history, including childhood history, work and school experiences as well as family life and drinking and drug use, to identify any factors that could be contributing to the symptoms. The SWAN, parent or patient ratings, and objective cognitive tests will be used to determine the diagnosis.