Diagnosing ADULTS
- Dec 6, 2016
- 2 min read
Looking back through the history of ADHD, it is evident that the causes of the disorder are still unknown, and a cure is yet to be found. With that being said, it is very likely that many adults presently experience symptoms of ADHD and went undiagnosed as children due to the lack of knowledge that was yet to be acquired by scientists and researchers. Melinda Smith and Robert Segal agree, “ADHD often goes unrecognized throughout childhood. This was especially common in the past, when very few people were aware of ADHD or ADD” (Smith, Segal, 1).
According to Tammy Preston, “The symptoms of ADHD in adults are usually more subtle than they are in children” (Tammy Preston, 1). Tammy Preston shares that some doctors use the same criteria for diagnosing adults with ADHD as they do for children with ADHD (Preston, 1). However, not all doctors refer back to the DSM-IV or DSM-V which is referred to by professionals when diagnosing children. When evaluating adults for ADHD, Tammy explains that, “another set of criteria called the Utah Criteria” is used in the place of the DSM some of the time (Preston, 1). According to the Utah Criteria, adult patients must, “obtain a developmental history. Attempt to corroborate information with other sources, such as parents, spouse, and school report cards. Symptoms should be consistently present in early child hood” (SEARIGHT, BURKE, ROTTNEK, 2). This clearly shows that all of these resources must be available to the adult patient in order to be accurately diagnosed, and many times obtaining things such as school records may be hard to come by.
Although school records may be hard to come by, that does not mean that the patient will be misdiagnosed with ADHD, this simply means further evaluation will need to take place in order to accurately diagnose the adult patient with the disorder which in turn will not lead to misdiagnosis. Searight, Burke, and Rottnek explain that the patient needs to be able to, “inquire about the impact of core ADHD symptoms on current occupational, school, and relationship functioning” (SEARIGHT, BURKE, ROTTNEK, 2). This means that the patient must be able to clearly specify how the symptoms that are being experienced in their daily lives are impacting them while at work, school, or current relationships. Healthcare professionals will then, “assess attention, concentration, distractibility, and short-term memory by having the patient perform screening tasks in an office setting” (SEARIGHT, BURKE, ROTTNEK, 2). The patient will then be assessed further, “for the presence of other psychiatric disorders and substance abuse” (SEARIGHT, BURKE, ROTTNEK, 2). Searight, Burke, and Rottnek explain, “If the results are equivocal, the patient will be referred to a psychologist for further evaluation” (SEARIGHT, BURKE, ROTTNEK, 2). With all of these variables being considered, misdiagnosis is less likely to occur in adults.
evaluation” (SEARIGHT, BURKE, ROTTNEK, 2). With all of these variables being considered, misdiagnosis is less likely to occur in adults.
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