ADHD Diagnostic Assessment
A qualified health care professional typically psychologists or psychiatrists can diagnose ADHD. As part of the assessment ratings scales, neuropsychological testing are used.
The first step in evaluating for ADHD is to gather data from multiple sources. The health professional will be interested in knowing about the symptoms in various settings, such as home, school and work.
Interviews and questionnaires
To determine an ADHD diagnosis, a doctor needs to examine the patient and review the patient's history and other information. For children, this typically includes the child's history of symptoms as well as their effect on work or school performance. For adults, it may include the family health history, personal health history, and the results of any medical tests that be taken. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) released by the American Psychiatric Association provides clinical guidelines to diagnose ADHD. These guidelines provide a list that a physician must be able to recognize in order to diagnose ADHD.
The interview process is often followed by standardised questionnaires designed to assess the symptoms of ADHD. These rating scales may be narrowband or broadband and may cover a broad range of symptoms or focus on specific subscales. Rating scales for narrowbands typically have a shorter completion time and are more easy to score. Broadband rating scales are employed to gather data for research studies and typically require professional training to interpret.
Some patients will not admit that they suffer from ADHD. This is particularly the case if they are educated or have an occupation that is high-end. Others, on the contrary however, are insistent about having issues and offer convincing evidence of their struggles and a unique pattern of coping. The results of the questionnaires and interviews can be combined into a report to the doctor who might use additional assessment tools.
A behavioral test could help in determining other conditions that might cause ADHD-like symptoms, including certain kinds of learning disorders anxiety, depression as well as medication-related side effects. A neuropsychological or psychometric test may be required if the doctor suspects that the patient is suffering from an intellectual disability, other cognitive or memory impairments or an issue with speech or language. A physical examination could be required as well. If the symptoms are believed to be due to a substance abuse disorder or alcohol use, the drug or alcohol usage must be assessed. These assessments are often performed as part of a comprehensive assessment that can take several hours or longer. Patients should arrive at the appointment well rested and ready to spend some time answering questions regarding their behavior, functioning and family history.
Behavioral Tests
A visit to a doctor is often the first step towards diagnosing ADHD. During this interview the patient will be asked to explain the ways in which symptoms of ADHD affect their daily lives. The individual could be asked to explain other mental health issues they have faced in the past, for example, anxiety or depression. The evaluator may also ask about any medications that the person is currently taking. During the interview, it is essential that people are honest and transparent.
The evaluator may inquire about whether any of their family members have been diagnosed with ADHD, or if they have ADHD symptoms. ADHD is a condition that tends to run through families. Anyone who has a family history of ADHD has a 91% chance to develop the disorder.
After the evaluator has collected all of this information after which they can proceed to behavioral tests. Behavioral tests help to provide more evidence of the person might be suffering from symptoms of ADHD. These tests involve asking the individual about their behavior in various situations and rating it. The ratings are then compared with the ratings of normal people. These types of standardized rating aid in ensuring that the results are accurate and consistent.
There are several different standardized rating scales that can be used to determine the person's ADHD symptoms. These scales vary from broad-band scales that aim to evaluate an individual's emotional and behavior functioning to narrow-band scales created to identify specific ADHD symptoms. Many of these ratings are also available online.
Computerized tests are becoming increasingly popular in diagnosing ADHD. These tests are referred to as continuous performance tests (CPT). This type of test requires the subject to complete a number of computer tasks which require their concentration on details. The examiner will then evaluate the results to other CPTs in order to identify a possible diagnose.
Neuropsychological tests
To determine a full diagnosis of ADHD the evaluation will include intelligence tests and a variety of neuropsychological tests. These tests can help to identify deficits within the core areas of ADHD symptoms, such as executive functioning and working memory. Intelligence tests can also be used to determine the strengths and weaknesses of a person's cognitive abilities. This will help inform treatment planning.
In previous neuropsychological research people with ADHD showed impairments in many different types of cognitive test batteries. These impairments are typically found in frontal lobe function tests (e.g., reversal learning, Tower of Hanoi, Stroop Interference Test). However, not all people with ADHD show these issues in the same manner. Certain people don't show any impairments whatsoever on these neuropsychological assessments (Luo and others. 2014).
This is especially true of clinical comparison groups, which are usually drawn from the local community and consist of individuals who meet the diagnostic criteria for another psychiatric condition or who do not suffer from any psychiatric disorders but who have a reason to be referred. Despite the wide range of cognitive differences observed in these groups, the findings of the present study support the notion that neuropsychological tests may be of limited value in helping distinguish adult ADHD from other disorders of the psyche during a clinical assessment.
The neurocognitive test was used to determine the hypothesized deficiencies in adult ADHD. These tests included a number of simple attention/vigilance tasks, complex cognitive functions including working memory (NBV correct responses), inhibition/interference control (Go/No-Go omissions and Stroop Interference test naming interference) and cognitive flexibility (TMT part B/TMT part A, SWITCH task switch accuracy).
In the present study, the neuropsychological tests generally confirmed previous ADHD adult findings and backed a frontal lobe dysfunction hypothesis for the disorder. This is in line with other research that suggests that multifactorial models are crucial in the cause of the disorder and frontal lobe dysfunction might be a common deficit. Additionally, the finding that the ADHD group and the clinical groups had similar cognitive function is consistent with previous behavioral and neuroimaging research that has shown that frontal lobe dysfunction is common in the general psychiatric population.
Medical Evaluation
If your child or adult is experiencing problems at school or at home or is having issues with relationships, it may be time to determine whether the problem is stress or a learning disability, or ADHD. A thorough evaluation can identify the nature and severity of symptoms, and also help rule out other medical conditions such as thyroid problems or seizures. A physical exam is typically the first step. However, it may include eye and hearing tests (for children)) or a thyroid test for adults. Medical records, including previous testing and school reports are also crucial as they can help doctors determine the beginning of the disorder.
adhd assessment I Am Psychiatry and questionnaires can help doctors better understand a person's problem. Teachers, parents, significant others, friends and coworkers may be questioned. A standardized rating scale can provide details about the frequency and severity of symptoms. It is based on research that has compared the behaviors of those with ADHD and those without. The majority of doctors ask the patient as well as the partner to fill out an assessment scale.
Experts in the field of ADHD often use a comprehensive approach when evaluating the severity of ADHD symptoms. They will utilize a variety of sources of information, including interviews and rating systems and will adhere to the current criteria for diagnosis. They may recommend further evaluations including brain imaging, to identify any possible root cause for the symptom pattern.
For adults it is crucial for the doctor to take time to examine symptoms in a variety of environments and over a time of six months. A diagnosis of ADHD requires a minimum of five established symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity. The doctor should also take into consideration whether the patient has complications, such as a depression or anxiety disorder that appear and feel like ADHD but aren't responding to treatment with stimulants.
Consult your primary care physician or a psychiatrist for a referral if believe that your child or you might be suffering from ADHD. You can also contact a local support group or a university-based hospital or graduate school in psychology for suggestions.