The Assessment Process Though it varies, a typical assessment for ADHD in children or adults may last around one to three hours.
The ASRS-v1. 1 is a questionnaire that asks patients about their behaviors and feelings in various situations, such as work, home, and social situations. The questions are designed to help patients describe ADHD symptoms identified in the DSM-IV-TR, a manual used by behavioral health experts.
You should usually get your results in 3-5 business days. Please keep in mind that it may take longer, depending on the state where you live and the psychologist's workload.
Seeing a Psychologist
You might benefit from referral to a psychologist for an assessment, and to help you develop strategies to address issues that you are concerned about. Psychologists are highly trained and qualified to diagnose and treat people with ADHD using a range of methods based on best available research.
Can I get a Medicare rebate or Private rebate for an ADHD assessment? Unfortunately it isn't possible to get a rebate via Medicare as Medicare only allows a rebate for treatment and not assessment or testing.
How much does an assessment cost? $370. This includes up to two hours of work done by the psychologist consisting of: Review of the results of the assessment pack.
Untreated ADHD in adults can lead to mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. This is because ADHD symptoms can lead to focus, concentration, and impulsivity problems. When these problems are not managed effectively, they can lead to feelings of frustration, irritability, and low self-esteem.
Getting Diagnosed. There's no one test. Instead, doctors and psychologists get information about what and how many symptoms you have, when they started, how long they've lasted, and how severe they are. In order to be diagnosed with ADHD, you need to have several symptoms, not just one or two.
One reason is time. It can take several hours of talking, test taking, and analysis to diagnose someone with ADHD. In addition, general practitioners sometimes overlook co-existing, or comorbid, conditions with overlapping symptoms, such as learning disabilities, mood disorders, or autism spectrum disorder.
It is difficult to diagnose ADHD in children younger than 4 years. That is because younger children change very rapidly. It is also more difficult to diagnose ADHD once a child becomes a teen. There is no single test for ADHD.
Doctors often mistake ADHD symptoms in adults for mood disorders, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other conditions with overlapping symptoms. For adults, hyperactivity can be turned inward.
Adding to the difficulty is the fact that there is little formal training on ADHD in medical school. “Most professionals do not have sufficient information about how to assess ADHD and treat it,” says Thomas Brown, Ph. D., an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine.
Remember that depression, anxiety, PTSD, dementia, and mild cognitive impairments can be misdiagnosed as ADHD. Adult ADHD is real and of great life importance, but quite rare and easily overdiagnosed.
Adults diagnosed with ADHD often blame themselves for their problems or view themselves in a negative light. This can lead to self-esteem issues, anxiety, or depression.
“Nobody has perfect memory… but for [people with ADHD], it's extreme. They feel like they're lost all the time,” Almagor said. He believes this is why people don't take ADHD seriously. “I think that's why some people don't respect the severity of what [a person with ADHD] can experience,” he said.
The easiest way to get diagnosed and treated for ADHD if you are an adult is to approach your GP. Most GPs have a good understanding of ADHD. More importantly, as community-based health workers GPs have a wide-ranging understanding of medical and social issues that can affect one's cognitive function.
You can inherit genes that boost risk for ADHD from your mother, from your father or from both parents. In a recent Norwegian study, inherited risk was somewhat higher when a child's mother had ADHD compared to their father, but researchers weren't certain why that would be.
There is no test for ADHD – the assessment is made using a wide range of information provided by both the family and your child's school. Other health professionals, such as a speech pathologist, may also become involved in your child's assessment.
But, there are many advantages to getting an ADHD diagnosis. Getting a diagnosis can help you or your child get the appropriate treatment and help rule out other conditions.
There are currently no medical tests for ADHD
ADHD is diagnosed by the observation of behavioural symptoms. If you're concerned about your child's behaviour, your GP is a good place to start.