ADHD Assessment - What Happens When a Doctor Diagnoses ADHD?
To make an ADHD diagnosis, doctors examine your symptoms to see whether they fit the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V). The majority of professionals also conduct a clinical interview using one or more standardized ADHD rating scales.
It's best to find a professional who is specialized in diagnosing ADHD and is covered by your insurance plan. Find an organization that supports you locally for specialists.
Symptoms
Your pediatrician will ask questions about your current symptoms and any past. They will also examine you to look for physical causes for your issue such as vision issues hearing loss, or a medical condition.
The main sign of ADHD is the difficulty in paying attention or staying focused. This is often the cause of accidental mistakes or failure to complete work (e.g. schoolwork, homework or chores). Children and teens with ADHD have trouble listening to others and appear distracted or daydreaming. For adults suffering from ADHD these issues may result in issues at home or at work and also in relationships.
Another sign of ADHD is difficulty sitting still or being still for long periods. Some people with ADHD move around, fidget or squirm as they wait for others to show up or during the course of a meeting. They may also talk too much 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 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 different settings like at school, or in other social settings. cost of adhd assessment will ask you as well as your family members as well as teachers and other caretakers to explain your behavior. He or she may also use standard ADHD scales for assessing symptoms and checklists.
Your child may be subjected to an examination of the body or blood tests in order to determine if there are any other medical issues such as thyroid disorder, a vision problem, or a hearing loss. A mental health professional can also test your child's ability to follow instructions, focus and complete tasks.
Neuropsychological tests cannot be used to diagnose ADHD but they may be useful in certain circumstances. It involves measuring brain activity, including beta waves, with an EEG or using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Certain studies suggest that those suffering from ADHD have less beta wave activity in the frontal lobes of their brains. They also suggest that they produce too many theta waves.
Diagnosis
A doctor is able to diagnose ADHD by looking at a patient's symptoms, their 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). It is crucial to know the sensitivity and specificity of each tool to determine the probability that the test will correctly identify people suffering from the disorder, as opposed to those with the disorder.
Interviewing the patient is the first step to the assessment of ADHD. This is a session lasting about an hour with a therapist who is asked about their symptoms and past experiences. A specialist may also request the assistance of teachers and other caregivers in gathering information, particularly when diagnosing children. The clinician will review the child's medical and school records, and ask parents and teachers to fill out questionnaires that teachers and parents have completed.
The physician may also request for school records from adults who are being assessed for ADHD to determine if the symptoms began in childhood. The doctor might also speak to the person's spouse, children and other friends about their experiences with the person. A specialist may want to interview people who are familiar with the person including former teachers or religious leaders.
For an adult or teenager to be diagnosed with ADHD the person must demonstrate several of the symptoms in a variety of environments, including school, work, and home. These symptoms must interfere in the ability of the individual to function and cannot be explained by other condition. For adolescents, the symptoms must be present since childhood and be consistent over time. For adults, they must show at minimum five ongoing symptoms and have suffered from them for at minimum six 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 many treatments available if your child or adult is diagnosed with ADHD. These may include behavioral therapy, medication or a combination of both. Your doctor and you will decide on the most appropriate treatment for your child based on the symptoms and the length of time they have been present. Your doctor will also rule out other conditions that could be the cause of the symptoms, including mental health conditions like depression and anxiety or medical problems like thyroid issues.
If you or your child is struggling in school, it's important to speak to your teacher about the issue. Teachers can identify ADHD signs in children and determine if the issue is ADHD or something else.
The evaluation you receive will likely involve a clinical interview, completion of ADHD symptoms checklists and other questionnaires as well as psychological tests, medical history and details about relatives and friends. It is essential to be as specific as possible about the difficulties you or your child are experiencing. This will enable your physician to comprehend the complexity of your situation and help you make an accurate diagnosis.
Adults and teenagers go through a similar assessment process, however their symptoms will be evaluated differently, as they are generally associated with their work or other activities. Your psychologist or psychiatrist may also ask you to explain the issues and how they impact your life. Are the issues affecting your professional or social relationships, for instance? How much, if at all? This information will be used by your doctor to determine if your symptoms are mild or moderate.
Psychosocial treatments are more effective than medications for adults with ADHD. These treatments can teach your family and you how to deal with the disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), for example can help you reframe negative thoughts and manage your emotions. Family and group therapy can help you develop new strategies and skills to improve your relationship with your spouse or partner. For children and adolescents, 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 therapy for behavior and training for older teens and adults.
Follow-up
Like any diagnostic procedure, the results of an adhd test must always be evaluated by a qualified clinician. This ensures the person receives the right treatment for their condition. It also reduces the chance of false positive results, when a test suggests that a person may have ADHD but they don't. This could happen if a test that is used for evaluating isn't valid or if the examiner lacks the experience to interpret the results correctly.
The doctor will take into consideration the duration and onset of the symptoms, as well as how they compare with the mental age estimate (i.e., is the patient's behavior significantly "below" or above" their age). They will also take into consideration the time frame and duration of the symptoms, as well as how they compare 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 helpful in the assessment of ADHD symptoms. Certain tests have been specially designed to assess the most important symptoms of ADHD: inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Two such tests are the Quantified Behavior test for children (6-12 year olds) and Qb+(c) for adults (12 years or more). These tests employ motion-tracking systems to monitor head movement and generate indicators of activity, including the time spent moving at a speed greater than 1 cm/s, distance and the surface covered, and microevents, like small movements that are greater than 1 millimeter. They also provide estimates of commission errors and omission errors both of which are the main causes of ADHD's executive dysfunction.
It is essential that the physician takes the time to conduct a thorough examination. They will inquire about the patient's health and development history, including childhood, school and work histories, family life, and drug and alcohol usage, to identify any factors that may contribute to the symptoms. The SWAN, parent or patient ratings, and objective cognitive tests are used to determine a diagnosis.
