ADHD Assessment - What Happens When a Doctor Diagnoses ADHD?
Doctors will examine your symptoms and determine if they meet the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition DSM-V. A majority of professionals also conduct a medical interview based on one or more ADHD rating scales.
Find a specialist who is an expert in ADHD diagnosis and is covered by your insurance. Contact an organization that supports local residents for a list of specialists.
Symptoms
If your pediatrician is evaluating you for ADHD the doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and history. He or she may also examine you in order to determine the physical cause of your problem. It could be a vision problem, hearing loss or illness.
ADHD is defined as difficulty paying attention or staying focussed. This can lead to careless mistakes or failing to finish work (e.g., schoolwork or chores). Teens and children with ADHD have trouble listening to others and can seem distracted or daydreaming. In adults with ADHD these issues may result in problems at work or home and in relationships.
Another symptom of ADHD is difficulty sitting down or remaining still for long periods. People who suffer from ADHD fidget, squirm or jog while waiting for others or in a meeting. They might also talk too much and interrupt others often.
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.
To determine if you have ADHD, your pediatrician will consider the way you behave in various settings like at school, or in other social settings. He or she will talk to you and your family, teachers and other caregivers about your behavior. He or she will also utilize checklists and scales to assess ADHD symptoms.
Your child may also be subjected to a physical examination or blood tests in order to determine if there are any other medical conditions like a thyroid disorder, a vision issue or hearing loss. A mental health professional will test your child’s ability to focus, follow instructions and complete tasks.
Neuropsychological testing is not usually used to diagnose ADHD however, it can be useful in certain circumstances. It involves measuring brain activity, including beta waves by using an EEG scan or a magnetic resonance image (MRI). Certain studies suggest that ADHD patients have lower beta-wave activity in their frontal lobes. They also produce too many theta-waves.
Diagnosis
A doctor can diagnose ADHD by looking at the symptoms of a patient and family history and the results of a range of assessment and screening tools. There are many tools that can be used to determine the presence of ADHD, such as rating scales and continuous tests. For each tool, it is important to understand its sensitivity and specificity, which is the probability that the test correctly identifies those suffering from the disorder versus those who do not.
The first step in assessing ADHD is to interview the patient. This is a session lasting about an hour with a specialist, during which the patient is asked about his or her symptoms and past experiences. A specialist may ask caregivers, teachers and other educators to gather information, especially when diagnosing children. The clinician will review medical and school records, and also ask the child or teenager to answer questionnaires posed by educators and parents.
The doctor may also ask for school records from people being evaluated for ADHD to determine if the affliction started in childhood. The doctor may also speak to the spouse, siblings, and other close friends of the person about their experiences. A specialist may want to interview people who have a good relationship with the person like former teachers or religious leaders.
For an adult or adolescent be diagnosed with ADHD the individual must demonstrate several of the symptoms in multiple situations, such as at school, work, and home. These symptoms must interfere in the person's ability to function and cannot be explained by any other condition. For adolescents the symptoms should have been consistent and present from childhood. Adults must have at minimum five symptoms that persist for a minimum of 6 months. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition Text Revision of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5) contains criteria for determining the severity of the disorder.
Treatment
There are a variety of options for treatment 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 determine the best option for your child based upon their symptoms and how long they've been suffering. Your doctor will also rule out other conditions that could be causing the symptoms, such as mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, or medical issues 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 spot ADHD symptoms in children and determine if the issue is ADHD or something else.
Your assessment will likely consist of an interview with a clinician, the completion of ADHD symptoms checklists and other questionnaires as well as medical history, psychological tests and information regarding relatives and friends. It is essential to be as precise as you can regarding the issues you or your child may be experiencing. This will help your practitioner to understand the complexities and help them make a correct diagnosis.
Adults and teens over the age of 18 will have a similar assessment process however symptoms will be evaluated in a different way as they are usually connected to work and other pursuits. Your psychologist or psychiatrist may also ask you to explain the issues and how they impact your life. For example, do the problems affect your social or work relationships? If yes what is the extent? This information will be used by your doctor to determine if your symptoms are moderate or mild.
Psychosocial therapies for adults with ADHD are typically more effective than medication. how much does an adhd assessment cost can help you and your family find better ways to cope with your issues. For instance, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you learn how to shift your negative thoughts and manage your emotions. Family and group therapy can help you learn new strategies and skills to improve your relationship with your partner or spouse. Before you try any medication, behavior-training should be considered for children and adolescents. This includes training for parents on how to manage children's behavior less than 6 years old and other types training and behavior therapy for adults and teens.
Follow-up
Like any diagnostic procedure, the results of an adhd evaluation should be reviewed by a qualified clinician. This ensures that the patient receives the appropriate treatment for their condition. This also reduces the risk of false positive results, if a test indicates the person has ADHD but they do not. This could occur when the test used for an evaluation is not validated or the examiner lacks the experience to interpret the results correctly.
When making an interpretation of the results of an adhd test the physician will examine whether the symptoms are consistent with the patient's past and if they're sufficiently disruptive to their daily life. They will also consider the time of onset and duration of the symptoms as well as examine them against a 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 assessing ADHD symptoms. Certain tests have been specially designed to assess the most important symptoms of ADHD including hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsive nature. The Quantified Behavior Test for children (6-12 years) and the Qb+(c) for adults (12 years and over) are two of the tests. These tests utilize motion-tracking technology to monitor head movement and produce indicators of activity, like time spent moving faster than 1 cm/s, distance and the surface covered, and microevents, like small movements that are greater than 1 mm. They also generate estimates of mistakes in omission and commission, the two components of ADHD's executive functioning issues.
It is crucial that the doctor is able to conduct 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 drinking and drug use to determine any contributing factors that may contribute to the symptoms. The SWAN as well as the parent or patient ratings, and objective cognitive tests are used to arrive at a diagnosis.