What's The Fuss About Getting An ADHD Diagnosis?
Getting an ADHD Diagnosis
Being diagnosed with an ADHD diagnosis can be a life altering experience. This is why some people struggle with issues like staying focused, following directions and being organized.
Ask your family doctor or therapist to refer you to an expert. Also, inquire with your insurance company to see if they cover ADHD evaluations for adults.
adhd adult diagnosis
For adults, a proper diagnosis will require an assessment by a psychologist, psychiatrist or specialist nurse. These are the only healthcare providers who can diagnose ADHD among adults.
Usually, an initial assessment will begin with a detailed interview about your life and symptoms. The healthcare professional might be able to inquire about the length of time you have had symptoms and how they affect your life. They might also suggest that you talk to an immediate family member or friend about your symptoms.
The process of evaluating you may include questions about your childhood. The current guidelines allow doctors to diagnose ADHD without evidence that the disorder existed in the early years of childhood. So, the healthcare professional will need to review your school records and talk to those who knew you as an infant. They will also discuss whether you have experienced any other mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression.
In some instances an evaluator could suggest cognitive tests such as IQ tests or tests for learning or memory problems. They may also suggest that you take other kinds of medical tests to rule out physical ailments that could be causing your symptoms.
If the healthcare professional is confident that your symptoms are related to ADHD, they will recommend additional diagnostic tests to confirm the diagnosis and determine the severity. These tests may include urine and blood tests as well as a medical examination and perhaps educational or psychological tests.
The tests are used to measure the levels of certain chemicals within your body that could be linked to ADHD like serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. They will also test your heart rate and blood pressure. They may also give you a spirometry test, which evaluates the capacity of your lungs. They might also suggest a brain imaging scan to look for structural or functional abnormalities. In some instances the evaluator might recommend that you or your child be tested for other conditions that may have similar symptoms similar to ADHD, such as depression and anxiety or mood and personality disorders.
The Interview
There are numerous ADHD tests and quizzes that you can use to test your knowledge, before scheduling an appointment with your physician. These tests may help you recognize that you suffer from ADHD However, the clinical interview with your doctor is the only way to confirm the diagnosis.
This process could take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours and includes explaining to the patient what we know about ADHD and how it might affect their symptoms. The clinician may also ask about depression or substance abuse as these conditions can co-occur 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 doctor will also want to review the patient's school records and talk to teachers. If the patient is an adult spouse or family member might also be interviewed. Personal insight can reveal information that can't be gleaned from questionnaires.
Some doctors rush through this process or insist on only seeing a patient one time instead of completing a full examination. This can lead to misdiagnosis. This is a red flag when the doctor is too rigid about the criteria for diagnosing ADHD.
The evaluator can ask adults to rate each symptom they see on an ADHD checklist and then give examples of how these afflictions have affected their lives. The evaluator then compares the ratings to the checklist and determines if there is ADHD.
For some adults, it could be a relief to finally be diagnosed with ADHD. However, the underlying emotionslike guilt for failing to live up to expectations, or the grief that the disorder was not recognized until later in life- can be complicated. ADHD is characterised by impulsivity and a lack of attention. These characteristics can have grave consequences in a variety of areas such as relationships as well as careers and health.
The Tests
Getting an ADHD diagnosis can be a difficult and difficult process. It requires a lot of paperwork and interviews as well as tests. It is possible to prepare by obtaining advice from trusted doctors family members, friends and relatives. You should also research the specialist and their credentials to ensure they are a good fit for your needs. It is essential to find a doctor who specializes in diagnosing ADHD. This will ensure that you or your child gets an accurate diagnosis and the best treatment possible.
An interview with the evaluator is the first step in an ADHD evaluation. The evaluator may ask you or your child questions in order to know more about your symptoms. The evaluator would like to know how your symptoms affect your life and whether they impact work, school or relationships. The evaluator may also use rating scales to assess your ADHD symptoms. These are typically checklists in which you or someone you know is asked a series questions. You may be asked if you frequently forget appointments or how often you interrupt others.
Many evaluators also ask people who know your child or you to complete questionnaires on what they have observed. For adults, this could be spouses and siblings and for children, it could be coaches, teachers, nannies or daycare workers. Personal insight can uncover details that are not possible to obtain from a questionnaire.
The evaluators can also perform cognitive tests to determine if learning or intellectual disabilities contribute to your symptoms. They might also look for mood disorders like bipolar disorder, depression, or an underlying psychosis. They might even screen for underlying medical conditions such as hypothyroidism and seizures.
A few evaluators will offer you or your children an ADHD screening test to determine how you respond both to non-target and target stimuli. For instance the TOVA (Timed On-Only Visual Attention) is an FDA-approved computer-based test that tests your ability to pay attention and recall a series of geometric shapes. The evaluator will look at how often you respond to non-target stimuli, and how long it takes you to react to the stimuli you are targeting. This can help evaluators to determine if you suffer from an impulsive ADHD or inattentional ADHD.
The Follow-Up
Multiple mental health professionals are qualified to diagnose ADHD and provide ADHD evaluations. This could be a psychiatrist or psychologist or neurotherapist or psychotherapist. The specialist will ask you what your concerns are and how long they have been occurring for. The doctor will also inquire about any family history of ADHD. It is believed that the disorder is 70%-80 percent hereditary, and that genes play a big role in determining whether you or your child will have symptoms.
He will inquire about how ADHD affects you or your child at home, at school and at work. He will inquire with you or your child about their behavior in various environments because ADHD symptoms differ in different settings. To be diagnosed with ADHD either you or your child will also need to have at least six or more signs of hyperactivity, inattention or impulsivity that affects the daily activities. The symptoms must last for at least six months.
To determine the correct diagnosis, the specialist will need to rule other conditions out. These may include psychiatric conditions that are not listed above including anxiety and mood disorders, intellectual disabilities and medical conditions that affect the brain, for example, thyroid disorders. The specialist will also ask about your child or yourself's habits of sleep and any accidents or injuries in the past that could have affected your child or your brain's development.
The doctor will also examine whether the symptoms of ADHD in your child or you are connected to any health issues or medications that you or your child take. The adverse effects of stimulant medications, such as those used to treat ADHD may include stomachaches as well as difficulty sleeping. Other medications, like antidepressants and certain sleep medications are also prone to these adverse effects.
Finally, the expert will be required to determine if a comorbidity is present which means that you or your child is suffering from another illness that could cause symptoms of ADHD, such as bipolar disorder, depression anxiety disorder, or an eating disorder. The psychologist or psychiatrist will review the information and make the diagnosis.