ADHD Assessment - What Happens When a Doctor Diagnoses ADHD?
Doctors will look over your symptoms and determine if they are in line with the criteria of 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 of the standardized ADHD rating scales.
It is recommended to find a specialist who is specialized in diagnosing ADHD and is covered by your insurance plan. Find a local support group about specialists.
Symptoms
Your pediatrician will ask you questions about your current symptoms and any past. assessment adhd or she will also examine you to identify physical causes for your disorder, such as vision problems hearing loss, or an illness.
The primary sign of ADHD is trouble staying focused or paying attention. This is often the cause of careless mistakes or failing to complete tasks (e.g. schoolwork, homework or chores). Children and teens with ADHD frequently have trouble listening to others and can be distracted or snoozing. These issues can lead to difficulties in the workplace or at home, as well as in relationships in adults with ADHD.
Another ADHD sign is the inability to remain still or remain quiet for long periods of time. Some people who suffer from ADHD pace, fidget or squirm when waiting for others to arrive or during meetings. They also may be too loud or interrupt others regularly.
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 establish 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 examine your behavior in various settings such as school or other social situations. He or she will talk to you and your family, teachers and other caregivers about your behavior. He or she will also employ checklists and scales for ADHD symptoms.
Your child could also undergo a physical exam or take blood tests to rule out other medical issues, like hearing loss, vision loss or a thyroid condition which can trigger similar symptoms. A mental health professional could also assess your child's capacity to follow directions, concentrate and finish tasks.
The use of neuropsychological tests is not typically used to diagnose ADHD however it could be helpful in some situations. It is the process of measuring brain activity, including beta waves, by using an EEG or using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Some studies suggest that people who suffer from ADHD have lower beta wave activity in the frontal lobes of their brains. They also suggest that they produce too many theta waves.
Diagnosis
A doctor can 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 and neuropsychological testing batteries (Table I). For each tool, it is important to understand its sensitivity and specificity - the likelihood that the test is able to identify those with the disorder versus those who do not.
Interviewing the patient is the initial step in the assessment of ADHD. It is a one to two-hour appointment with a clinician that includes questions about the person's symptoms and his or her background. A specialist may also request teachers' assistance and other caregivers to gather information, particularly when diagnosing children. The doctor will look over the medical and school records as well as request the child or teenager to fill out questionnaires that are completed by teachers and parents.
For adults who are being assessed for ADHD, the clinician might also request previous school records to see if the person's symptoms started in childhood. The doctor might also speak to the person's spouse, children and other family members about their experiences with the person. A specialist might 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 multiple environments, including home, work and school. These symptoms must interfere in the person's ability to perform and cannot be explained by any other medical condition. For adolescents the symptoms should be consistent and present from childhood. Adults must have at minimum five ongoing symptoms for at least six months. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition Text Revision (DSM-5) provides criteria for diagnosis of the disorder.
Treatment
If your child or adult has been diagnosed with ADHD There are a variety of treatment options. This could include therapy, medication or a combination of both. You and your doctor will decide which is the best option for you based upon how many symptoms your child is experiencing and the length of time they've had them. Your doctor will also rule out other things that could be the cause of the symptoms, like mental health issues like anxiety and depression or medical conditions like thyroid disorders.
It's important to speak to your child's teacher if you notice that your child is struggling at school. Teachers often notice ADHD symptoms in children, and they can help determine if the difficulties are caused by ADHD or a different cause.
The evaluation you receive will likely involve an interview with a clinician, the complete of ADHD symptoms checklists and other questionnaires, psychological tests, medical history and details about family members and friends. It's important to provide as much information about the issues you or your child are experiencing as you are able to. This will assist your physician to understand the complexities and make an accurate diagnose.
Adults and teens over the age of 18 will have a similar assessment process however symptoms will be evaluated in a different way since they're usually related to work and other pursuits. Your psychiatrist or psychologist might also ask you to describe the issues and how they affect your life. Are the issues affecting your social or professional relationships, for example? If yes, how much? Your physician will use this information to determine if your symptoms are mild, moderate or severe.
Psychosocial therapies for adults with ADHD are usually more effective than prescription medications. These treatments can help you and your family discover better ways to deal with your issues. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for instance, can teach you to reframe negative thoughts and manage your emotions. Family and group therapy can help you develop new techniques and strategies that can improve your relationship with a spouse or partner. Before attempting any medication, training for behavior should be tried with young children and adolescents. This includes parent education on managing behavior for children younger than 6 years old and other kinds of behavior therapy and training for teens and adults.
Follow-up
As with any diagnostic procedure the results of an adhd test should always be interpreted by a qualified doctor. This ensures that the patient receives the appropriate treatment for their condition. This also reduces the chance of false positive results when the test results indicate that the person has ADHD when they do not. This can occur if a test that is used for evaluating is not valid or if the examiner lacks the experience to interpret the results correctly.
When making an interpretation of the results of an adhd assessment the doctor will examine 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 time frame and duration of the symptoms as well as how they compare with the mental age estimation (i.e., is the patient's behavior significantly '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 were specifically designed to assess the most important ADHD symptoms such as impulsivity and inattention. 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 employ motion tracking systems that measure head movements and generate measures of activity (i.e. the amount of the time spent moving more than 1 cm/s), distance and surfaces covered by movement as well as microevents (i.e., small movements above 1 mm). They also provide estimates of commission errors and omission errors which are the two main components of ADHD's executive functioning deficits.
It is crucial that the clinician conducts a thorough assessment. They will inquire about the patient's health and development history, including their childhood, school and work histories and family life, as well as drug and alcohol usage and other factors which may be contributing to symptoms. They will then apply an amalgamation of the SWAN as well as the parent or patient ratings, and objective cognitive testing to establish their diagnosis.