Getting an ADHD Diagnosis
Receiving an ADHD diagnosis can be a life changing experience. It is the reason why people struggle with issues like staying focused in their work, following directions and remaining organized.
Ask your family doctor or therapist to refer you to a specialist. Check with your insurance company to determine if they cover ADHD evaluations for adult patients.
The Diagnosis Process
For adults, a valid diagnosis will require an evaluation by a psychologist, psychiatrist or specialist nurse. They are the only healthcare professionals who can determine ADHD in adults.
A thorough interview with your health and symptoms is usually the first step in a preliminary evaluation. The healthcare professional will also be interested in knowing the length of time your symptoms have been present and how they affect you. They might also suggest that you speak to your family member or close friend about your symptoms.
The evaluation process may also include questions regarding your childhood. Current guidelines allow doctors to diagnose ADHD without any evidence that the disorder was present during childhood. So, the healthcare professional will need to review your school records and speak to those who knew you as a child. They may also inquire whether you've ever experienced any mental health issues such as anxiety or depression.
In certain situations the evaluator may suggest cognitive testing like IQ tests or tests for learning or memory problems. They may also recommend that you undergo other types of medical tests to rule out physical ailments that could be causing your symptoms.
If your healthcare provider believes that your symptoms are due to ADHD they will suggest further diagnostic tests to confirm the diagnosis and determine the severity. These tests may include blood and urine testing, a medical exam, and perhaps educational or psychological tests.
The tests will be used to determine the levels of certain chemicals in your body that might be related to ADHD, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. They will also assess your blood pressure and heart rate. They might also suggest a the spirometry test which measures the capacity of your lungs. They may also recommend that you undergo an examination of your brain to look for structural or functional abnormalities. In certain instances the evaluator could suggest that you or your child be examined for other conditions that have similar symptoms to ADHD, such as anxiety and depression or mood and personality disorders.
The Interview
There are a variety of ADHD quizzes and questions that you can use as a screening tool before making an appointment with your physician. These tests can be useful in alerting you to the possibility of ADHD, but the only way to make an accurate diagnosis is to consult an expert medical professional who conducts a thorough medical interview and doesn't rush into prescribing medication.
This process could take anywhere from about 2 to 3 hours. It includes explaining to the patient what we know about ADHD and how it may affect their symptoms. It could also include the clinician seeking out a history of depression or abuse of substances because these issues may co-exist with ADHD.
A good diagnostic interview will involve a discussion of the patient's symptoms and their impact, and the psychologist or psychiatrist will use a checklist designed to evaluate hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattentiveness. The psychologist or psychiatrist will also need to examine the patient's school records and talk to teachers. If the patient is an adult or spouse, a family member might also be interviewed. Personal experience can reveal facts that cannot be gleaned from questionnaires.
Some doctors rush through this procedure or insist on only seeing a patient one time instead of conducting a thorough evaluation. This can lead to a doctor making a wrong diagnosis. If a doctor is too fundamentalist about the criteria used to diagnose ADHD and insists that a patient must display at least six symptoms to be diagnosed this is a red flag.
For adults, the evaluator might ask the patient to complete ratings for each of the symptoms on an ADHD checklist and then provide examples of how these symptoms have affected the patient's life. The evaluator then compares the scores to the checklist and assesses for ADHD.
For certain adults, it may be a great relief to be diagnosed with ADHD. But the underlying emotions -- such as guilt for not meeting expectations, or regret that the disorder wasn't recognized until later in lifeit can be a challenge. The inattention and impulsivity that are characteristic of ADHD can have severe implications in a variety of areas of an individual's life, such as relationships, career, and health.
The Tests
It can be a challenge and confusing to obtain an ADHD diagnosis. It involves a lot paperwork as well as interviews and tests. You can prepare by getting recommendations from reliable doctors, family members and friends. You should also research the specialist and their professional credentials to ensure they're a good fit for your needs. It is crucial to find a doctor who is specialized in diagnosing ADHD. This is to ensure that you or your child gets an accurate evaluation and the most effective treatment.
The first step of an ADHD assessment is an interview with the evaluation expert. The evaluator will ask you or your child questions in order to know more about your symptoms. The evaluator wants to know how symptoms affect you and whether they affect your work, school, or relationships. The evaluator may also use rating scales to assess your ADHD symptoms. These are usually checklists where you or someone you know is asked a series questions. For instance, you could be asked if it is common to miss appointments, or be asked how often you interrupt others.
Many evaluators will also ask people who are familiar with you or your child to fill out questionnaires regarding what they have observed. For adults, this could include spouses and siblings for children. It might be teachers, coaches or even daycare workers. Personal experience can reveal information that is not possible to gather from a survey.
Some evaluators may also perform cognitive tests to determine if learning or mental disabilities are contributing to your symptoms. They can also test for mood disorders like depression or bipolar disorder or psychosis that is in the beginning. They could also test for medical conditions that are underlying like hypothyroidism or seizure disorders.
Some evaluators will provide your child or you an ADHD screening test that evaluates how you respond to target and non-target stimuli. The TOVA (Timed On Only Visual Attention) is a computer-based test that has been approved by the FDA that measures your ability to pay close attention and remember a number of geometric shapes. The evaluator will look at the frequency at which you respond to non-targeted stimuli, and how long it takes you to respond to the target stimuli. getting diagnosed with adhd as an adult will help the evaluators determine if you suffer from impulsive ADHD or inattentional ADHD.
Follow-up
Many kinds of mental health professionals can provide ADHD evaluations and provide a diagnosis. This could include a psychiatrist, psychologist psychotherapist, neurologist, or psychotherapist. The doctor will want to be aware of your concerns and how long they have been occurring. The doctor will also inquire whether there is a family history of ADHD. The disorder is believed to be 70-80% hereditary. Genes play an important influence on whether your child or you suffer from symptoms.
The professional will want to know how your your child's ADHD affects your daily life such as at work, home, and at school. He will ask about your your child's behavior in different settings, because the symptoms of ADHD are different when they are encountered in different environments. To be eligible for an assessment of ADHD the parent or child must exhibit at least six distinct signs of hyperactivity or inattention and the impulsivity that affect daily functioning for at least six months.
To aid the doctor in making an accurate diagnosis, he must rule out other conditions. These may include psychiatric conditions that are not listed above, anxiety and mood disorders, intellectual disabilities, and certain medical disorders that affect the brain, like thyroid disorders. Additionally, the doctor will inquire about your child's sleeping patterns as well as any previous accidents or injuries that may have affected the development of your child's brain.
He will also consider whether your your child's ADHD symptoms are related to any other health condition or medications you or your child is taking. The side effects of stimulant medication such as those used to treat ADHD may include stomachaches and trouble sleeping. Other drugs, such as antidepressants and some sleep medicines may also cause these side effects.
The expert will need to determine if a comorbidity present which means that your child or you has another condition that can cause symptoms of ADHD for example, bipolar disorder, depression anxiety disorder, or eating disorder. The psychiatrist or psychologist will look over the information and make the diagnosis.