Adult ADHD Assessments
Based on current diagnostic guidelines, an adult can only be diagnosed with ADHD in the event that the symptoms were present during childhood (technically before the age of 12). Your specialist will go over your school records and talk to you and your significant others about your childhood behavior.
The evaluator will also try to identify any possible reasons other than ADHD could be responsible for your symptoms.
Interviews
During the interview portion of an ADHD evaluation, the psychologist will pose a series questions to the person being assessed. During this time the examiner will look over various issues such as the symptoms that are being reported, the often these symptoms occur, and how long the person has been experiencing them.
It is important that the person who is being evaluated be open about their symptoms and how these are affecting their life. They should not hide their issues, regardless of whether they are suffering from forgetfulness, losing things easily, lack of organization abilities, or difficulties with time management. It is important to understand that the reason they are having issues is not the fault of them and is not common.
In addition to examining the individual's present issues the doctor will also examine their past of health and development going back to childhood, education background, employment history drug and alcohol use and relationships with their spouses and families. Depending on the situation, the clinician may also decide to interview other people such as family members, colleagues, friends and teachers to obtain additional details.
Standardized tests that compare a person's symptoms to the symptoms of people with ADHD are also used in an assessment. These questionnaires are usually used in conjunction with a consultation with an experienced ADHD specialist. This helps to decrease the possibility that a person is diagnosed with ADHD based solely on their self-reports and to ensure the accuracy of the diagnosis.
In many cases, the clinician will talk to the spouse or partner in order to understand how the symptoms of the person are impacting their relationship. This step can aid the couple to better comprehend each other's needs and create a solid base for communication following the diagnosis. It is also an opportunity for the spouse or partner who isn't affected by ADHD to gain knowledge about how to support the person suffering from ADHD and make positive adjustments to their behavior.
Tests
Your healthcare provider will ask you questions and perform tests to assess the severity of your symptoms. They might be looking to determine if your symptoms have affected your family, work or social life. They will also examine your past and search for other conditions that may be causing the symptoms.
They could employ standardized behavior rating scales to identify ADHD symptoms. These tools are quick and easy to use, making them popular with patients. They don't always have a high degree of validity or positive predictor power. This means that they may miss some people with the disorder.
It is crucial to remember that ADHD is a continuum and that screening tools are unable to provide general advice. To be diagnosed, a person must have symptoms in at least two different areas of their lives and they should be affecting their daily activities. These are important distinctions to keep in mind when taking online ADHD screening tests or using self-assessment tools.
You and others who know you well will be questioned by your healthcare professional. This can include people from your immediate family, including spouses or siblings. It could also include your close friends teachers, coaches, or instructors. They will ask you how often you experience specific symptoms, and will then grade them from "never" up to "very often."
A physical exam can be conducted by a doctor to rule out any medical condition which could be causing symptoms. This could include a blood sample or electrocardiogram (ECG). They may also ask you to perform tasks like the test of variable attention (TOVA). The TOVA measures the extent to which you focus on the task you are not interested in and then compares your performance to the performance of others who do not have ADHD.
Adults who are not diagnosed with ADHD can suffer serious health and wellness issues. Women and those of color are less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and this makes it more difficult for them to seek treatment when they need. It's never too late to seek an accurate assessment and get on the road to recovery.
Referrals
A medical professional will conduct an interview with the patient to determine if they suffer from adult ADHD. She might also have someone they know well (a spouse, roommate or sibling for an adult, or a teacher or parent for children) to fill out some forms that describe the way in which the patient performs in various parts of their lives. Full Record can reveal information that is not possible to get from a questionnaire.
If the medical professional who is evaluating suspects that a patient may have comorbid depression or anxiety symptoms, she might ask the people closest to them to take similar questionnaires about how they cope with their behavior. This is a way to identify other conditions that could cause symptoms similar to ADHD.
The medical professional might also be interested in discussing the patient's mental health history and, if there's any family history of ADHD. Additionally, she will likely review the patient's school records as well as reports from childhood to see whether there are any trends.
A diagnosis of psychiatric disorders like ADHD is often difficult to obtain due to the stigma attached to the condition, and the fact that a lot of people who have the condition are not diagnosed in any way. The NHS has a long waiting list for ADHD assessments. This can make it difficult to identify certain people.
Private healthcare companies offer adult ADHD assessments through the NHS "Right to Choose" pathway. These private firms can conduct assessments faster than the NHS and can offer a shared-care agreement with the patient’s GP in order to pay only the NHS prescription fee. However the private healthcare provider should always be clear about the limitations of its services, and not claim to be able to prove the accuracy of a diagnosis or its ability to offer an effective treatment plan. It is important to remember that there aren't any conclusive tests to diagnose ADHD, and a medical professional should be trained to assess the symptoms using experience in clinical practice.
Reports
Once the specialist has completed the evaluation, he will call the patient's primary health care provider to make sure that an action plan for the next steps is in place. This could include therapy to treat ADHD or other mental disorders that are associated with it, as well with medication to manage the symptoms.
In the course of an adult adhd assessment the clinician will interview the person being evaluated and a number of others who know him or her well. This could include close family members, such as spouses or coworkers, as well as relatives and friends. The clinician will ask for copies of the person's school records and early report cards. It is important to provide this information since ADHD symptoms can change over time.
The physician will use a variety of ratings scales to determine whether or not the current problems are consistent with the presence of ADHD. These rating scales are designed to measure attention to impulse control, hyperactivity and attention. They can be self-report scales such as the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS) or observer scales in which someone who knows the person well fills out a form on behalf of the individual. The doctor will also take into consideration how the person's condition affects their family, work and social interactions.
If the person being evaluated has a past history with ADHD, the clinician will look over previous records to determine whether any symptoms are present in the present. These records could contain a description of the symptoms from the doctor and any other professionals who evaluated the person. If the patient has ADHD in the early years, a doctor typically requests a copy of the previous diagnosis, as well as any reports of treatment such as psychometric testing.
Several online tools are available to assess for ADHD. Some are free, while others offer more in-depth. For instance, the Women's ADHD Symptom Index that examines the patterns of childhood and adult-specific symptoms that are unique to women. Screening tools typically fail to detect the presence of impairment in two areas, which is crucial to determining the cause of ADHD.
