ADHD Diagnostic Assessment
A diagnosis of ADHD is determined by a qualified health professional, typically a psychologist or psychiatrist. As like it of the assessment, rating scales and neuropsychological tests are used.
The first step to evaluate for ADHD is to gather data from many sources. The health professional will be looking for signs in different settings, including the workplace, home and school.
Interviews and questionnaires
For an ADHD diagnosis, a doctor must examine the patient and review a variety of information. For children, this usually includes the child's history of symptoms and their effect on work or school performance. Adults may also include their family health history as well as personal health history as well as the results of any medical tests. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) released by the American Psychiatric Association provides clinical guidelines for diagnosing ADHD. They provide a list symptoms that a doctor must identify to make an ADHD diagnosis.
The process of interviewing is usually followed by standardised questionnaires designed to measure symptoms of ADHD. These could be broadband or narrowband rating scales, and they can cover a wide range of symptoms or concentrate on specific subscales. Narrowband rating scales generally have shorter time to complete and are easier to score. Broadband rating scales are employed to gather data for research studies and usually require professional training to interpret.
Certain patients will not admit that they suffer from ADHD. This is particularly true if they are educated or have an occupation that is high-end. Some patients are more adamant and insistent about their issues. They may even provide convincing evidence, like a pattern of unusual coping behaviors. The results of the questionnaires and interviews can be compiled into a report to the doctor, who could also utilize additional assessment tools.
A test of the brain is helpful to rule out other conditions that could cause symptoms similar to ADHD. These include certain kinds of learning disabilities, depression, anxiety or medication-related adverse effects. If a doctor suspects that the patient may be suffering from intellectual disabilities or cognitive impairments, memory impairments or memory, or a language or speech problem, a neuropsychological or psychometric test may be necessary. A physical exam may also be necessary. If the symptoms are thought to be related to a substance use disorder drinking or drug use, they should be evaluated. These tests are usually conducted as part a comprehensive evaluation which can take several hours or more. Patients should arrive to the appointment refreshed and prepared to spend some time answering questions regarding their behavior, functioning and family history.
Behavioral Tests
The most common first step in diagnosing ADHD is to have an interview with a health care professional. During the interview, the patient is asked how ADHD symptoms impact their daily life. The person may be asked to describe other mental health issues they have faced in the past, for example, anxiety or depression. The person evaluating the patient will also inquire about any medication the individual is taking. During the interview, it is important to be honest and open in their answers.
The evaluator will likely ask the person about relatives who have been diagnosed with ADHD or have ADHD symptoms themselves. This is because ADHD tends to be prevalent in families. An individual who has an ancestral background of ADHD has up to a 91% chance of developing the disorder.
After collecting all this information, the evaluator will proceed to conduct tests on behavior. Behavioral tests can provide objective evidence that a person might be suffering from ADHD. These tests typically involve an evaluator asking the subject questions about how they behave in various situations before rating them. The ratings are then compared to those of normal individuals. These types of standardized rating make sure that the results are consistent and accurate.
There are several different standard rating scales available to evaluate a person's ADHD. These scales range from broad-band scales, which aim to assess an individual's emotional and behavioral functioning as well as narrow-band scales that are designed to identify specific ADHD symptoms. A lot of these ratings are available on the internet.
The use of computerized tests to diagnose ADHD is increasing. These tests are known as continuous performance tests (CPT). In this type of test, the subject is required to perform a series of computer-based tasks that challenge their ability to pay attention to the details. The evaluator will then compare the results to other CPTs in order to identify a possible diagnose.
Neuropsychological tests
To identify ADHD A thorough evaluation will include tests for intelligence and neuropsychological assessment. These tests can help to identify deficiencies in the main areas of ADHD symptoms, including executive functioning and working memory. Intelligence tests are also used to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the brain and can help inform the treatment plan.
In the past, neuropsychological studies, people suffering from ADHD have shown impairments on many different types of cognitive test batteries. These impairments are evident mostly in tests of the frontal lobe's functions (e.g. reversal, Tower of Hanoi and Stroop Interference Test). However, not all ADHD sufferers exhibit these deficits in the same way. Certain people don't show any impairments whatsoever on these neuropsychological assessments (Luo, et al. 2014).
This is especially true for clinical comparison groups, which are often taken from the local population and consist of individuals who meet the diagnostic criteria for a different psychiatric disorder, or who do not suffer from any psychiatric disorder but have a reason to be referred. Despite the large heterogeneity of cognitive differences that are observed in these groups, the findings of this study support the view that neuropsychological tests may be of limited value in helping distinguish adult ADHD from other psychiatric disorders in the course of a clinical examination.
Participants in the current study were administered a comprehensive psychotherapy interview and CHAMPS assessment by one of two licensed clinical psychologists and completed a neurocognitive test to assess hypothesized deficits that are associated with 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 current study, the neuropsychological tests generally confirmed previous ADHD adult findings and backed the theory of a dysfunction in the frontal lobe for the disorder. This is in line with other research that suggests that multifactorial models could be crucial in the cause of the disorder and frontal lobe dysfunction may be a common deficit. The fact that the ADHD group and clinical comparison groups had similar cognitive function is in line with previous data from imaging and behavioral studies which show that frontal lobe dysfunction is common among the general psychiatric patient population.
Medical Evaluation
If a child, teenager or adult is experiencing issues at home or at school, or has relationship issues, it may be time to determine if the issue is ADHD, learning disabilities, or stress. A test can help determine the severity and nature of the symptoms. like it can also help to rule out other medical conditions like thyroid issues or seizures. A physical examination is the first step. It could include eye and/or hearing tests for children or a thyroid exam for adults. Medical records, including the results of previous tests and school reports, are also important as they can help doctors determine the beginning of the condition.
Interviews and questionnaires can help doctors better understand the person's issues. Teachers, parents as well as significant others, friends and coworkers may be questioned. A standardized rating system can provide details about the severity and frequency of symptoms. It is based on research that compares the behavior of people with and without ADHD. Most clinicians ask both the patient and the partner to fill out a rating system.
Experts in the field of ADHD generally employ a broad method to evaluate the person's ADHD symptoms. They will make use of a variety of information including interviews and rating systems and will follow the current diagnostic criteria. They may suggest further tests, such as brain imaging, to identify any possible root cause for the symptom pattern.
For adults, it is very important for the physician to carefully examine the symptoms in different 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 determine if the person has other conditions that are comorbid, like anxiety or depression that look and feel like ADHD however, they do not respond well to treatment with stimulants.
If you're worried that you or your child might have ADHD, start by asking for a referral from your primary care physician or a mental health specialist. You can also contact an organization that offers support in your area or a mental health institution at a university hospital, or a graduate school of psychology to get recommendations.