ADHD Assessment - What Happens When a Doctor Diagnoses ADHD?
To determine an ADHD diagnosis, doctors examine your symptoms to determine if they meet the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition (DSM-V). The majority of professionals will also conduct a clinical interview that is based on one or more ADHD rating scales.
Find an expert who is an expert in ADHD diagnosis and covered by your insurance. Contact the local support group for names of experts.
Signs and symptoms
When your pediatrician evaluates you for ADHD He or she will ask questions about your symptoms and history. The doctor may also examine you in order to determine the root reason for your issue. This could be due to a hearing loss, vision issue or illness.
ADHD is characterized by difficulty paying attention or staying focussed. This can result in careless mistakes and inability to finish tasks (e.g. chores or schoolwork). Teens and children who suffer from ADHD often have difficulty listening to others and can be distracted or daydreaming. In adults who suffer from ADHD these issues may cause issues at home or at work and in relationships.
Another symptom of ADHD is difficulty sitting down or remaining silent for long durations. People who suffer from ADHD move around, fidget or squirm as they wait for others to arrive or during a meeting. They might also be too loud and interrupt others frequently.
Doctors use 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 various situations such as school or other social situations. The doctor will ask you and your family members as well as teachers and other caregivers to describe your behavior. He or she may also use the standard ADHD symptom rating scales and checklists.
Your child could also be subjected to an examination of the body or blood tests in order to rule out any other medical issues like a thyroid disorder, a vision problem or hearing loss. A mental health professional could also assess your child's ability to follow directions, concentrate and finish tasks.
Neuropsychological tests aren't used to diagnose ADHD but they may be helpful in certain situations. It is the process of measuring brain activity, including beta waves, by using an EEG or by using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Some studies suggest that individuals who suffer from ADHD have lower beta wave activity in the frontal lobes of their brains and that they create too many theta waves.
Diagnosis
A doctor can diagnose ADHD based on the person's symptoms, his or her family history, and the results of a range of screening and assessment tools. These include rating scales, continuous performance tests and neuropsychological testing batteries (Table I). It is crucial to know the specificity and sensitivity of each instrument to determine the probability that the test will correctly identify people suffering from the disorder as opposed to those without.
The first step in assessing ADHD is to interview the patient. This is an hour-long session with a specialist who will be asked questions about the symptoms they experience and past experiences. A specialist may ask teachers and other caregivers to collect information, particularly when diagnosing children. The clinician will review the child's medical and school records and ask for them to complete questionnaires that teachers and parents have completed.
For adults who are being evaluated for ADHD The doctor may also request past school records to see if the person's symptoms started in childhood. The doctor could also talk to the person's spouse, siblings and other acquaintances about their experiences with the person. A specialist may also interview those who have a good relationship with the person like former teachers or religious leaders.
For an adult or teenager to be diagnosed with ADHD, the person must show a range of symptoms in a variety of settings, such as home, work and school. These symptoms must affect the person's ability to function and cannot be explained by other medical condition. For adolescents, the symptoms must have been present since childhood and persist over time. Adults must have at minimum five symptoms that persist for a minimum of 6 months. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition Text Revision (DSM-5) offers criteria for diagnosis of the disorder.
Treatment
There are a variety of treatment options available for your child or adult who is diagnosed with ADHD. These treatments may include medication, behavior therapy or a mixture of both. Your doctor and you will decide on the best treatment for your child based on their symptoms and the length of time they've been suffering. Your doctor will also rule out other things that could be causing the symptoms, including mental health conditions like depression and anxiety or medical conditions like thyroid disorders.
It is crucial to speak with 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 issues are caused by ADHD or another reason.
Your evaluation may include a clinical conversation and the completion of ADHD symptom lists and other questionnaires as well as psychological tests, information about your family and friends, as well as medical background. It is crucial to be as precise as you can regarding the issues you or your child is experiencing. This will enable your physician to comprehend the complexity of your situation and provide an accurate diagnosis.
Adults and older teens will go through a similar procedure of evaluation, but their symptoms will be evaluated differently due to the fact that they are typically associated with their work and other activities. Along with a thorough description of the problem that you're experiencing, your psychiatrist or psychologist will be looking to understand how these problems affect your daily life. Do the problems affect your professional or social relationships, for instance? How much, if all? Your doctor will use this information to determine if your symptoms are mild, moderate or severe.
Psychosocial treatments are more effective than medication for adults suffering from ADHD. These treatments can help you and your family learn better ways to cope with your symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for instance can help you overcome negative thoughts and manage your emotions. Therapy for families and groups can help you learn new skills and strategies to improve your relationship with your spouse or partner. Before you try any medication, training for behavior is recommended for children and adolescents. This includes training for parents on behavior management for children under 6 years of age and other kinds of training and behavior therapy for adults and teens.
Follow-up
As with any diagnostic procedure, the results of an adhd evaluation should always be interpreted by a qualified clinician. This ensures the person receives the right treatment for their condition. This also reduces the risk of false positive results, if tests show that a person has ADHD when they do not. This could happen when the test used in an assessment isn't valid or the examiner is not experienced enough to interpret the results correctly.
When interpreting the results of an adhd assessment the doctor will examine whether the symptoms are in line with the patient's past and if they are disruptive to their life. They will also take into consideration the time frame and duration of the symptoms, as well being able to compare them with an estimate of mental age (i.e., is the patient's behavior significantly above or below for their age).
In addition to interviews with a psychologist and observations, neuropsychological tests can be beneficial in the assessment of ADHD symptoms. Some tests have been specifically designed to test the main symptoms of ADHD: inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The Quantified Behavior Test for children (6-12 years) and the Qb+(c) for adults (12 years or older) are two such tests. These tests utilize motion tracking systems to measure head movements and produce measurements of activity (i.e. the amount of the amount of time spent moving over 1 cm/s) as well as distance and the surface covered by movement as and microevents (i.e. tiny movements that exceed 1 millimeter). They also produce estimates of omissions and commission errors, two components of ADHD executive functioning problems.
It is crucial that the physician conducts a thorough examination. They will inquire about the patient's health and development history, including childhood history, work and school experiences and family life, as well as drug and alcohol usage to determine any contributing factors which may be contributing to the symptoms. They will then use a combination of the SWAN and the patient or parent ratings and objective cognitive testing to arrive at their diagnosis.