Healthcare professionals may use different methods to diagnose ADHD in adults. This may involve interviews, questions for both you and your family, and other standardized tests.
No single test diagnoses attention deficit hypertension disorder (ADHD).
Instead, healthcare professionals use a comprehensive evaluation for diagnosis, which includes a standardized interview and other discussions with family members to eliminate other mental health conditions.
Diagnosing this mental disorder can be complex because there’s no single test that diagnoses
- an ADHD symptom checklist
- a detailed history of your past and current level of functioning
- information obtained from family members or other close loved ones
- standardized behavior rating scales
- tests to rule out other conditions or learning disorders
- a medical examination
To diagnose ADHD, your healthcare professional will follow guidelines from the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). This is a reference handbook healthcare professionals use to make diagnoses.
DSM-5 guidelines provide a common set of instructions to increase the likelihood that different healthcare practitioners will make the same diagnosis.
Your healthcare team will follow the DSM-5 guidelines when making an
Diagnostic interview
The
It can be structured or semi-structured, usually taking at least 1 to 2 hours to complete.
No matter how your healthcare professional conducts the interview, they’ll ask you standardized questions about your current and past behavior. The questions cover a range of topics. Your doctor will ask follow-up questions to gather as much information as possible.
They may also want to conduct the interview when you’re with a family member or your partner.
Each question correlates with one of the main characteristics of either the inattentive or hyperactive pattern of ADHD.
What are the main ADHD symptoms?
Your diagnostic interview may focus on different symptoms that you’ve experienced, and how those relate to the criteria needed to diagnose ADHD. Learn more about those symptoms and what you may be experiencing if you’re awaiting an ADHD diagnosis.
Interview of family or close friends
This part of the diagnosis process helps your healthcare professional get extra details and corroborate your answers.
For example, your parents may be able to provide details about your childhood that you forgot, or your partner may be able to provide details about your relationship that you may miss.
Standardized behavior rating scale
ADHD evaluation often includes standardized questionnaires used to compare the behavior of people with ADHD with people who don’t have ADHD.
These surveys won’t be used as a diagnosis alone, but they can support the diagnostic interview. Your healthcare team may also want your partner to fill out the surveys.
Additional tests
Your healthcare team might give you additional tests to screen for other conditions. These tests may include tests to measure academic achievement and intellectual capability or to help your healthcare team find coexisting conditions.
Many people with ADHD may live with one or more coexisting conditions, including:
Medical exam
You may be given a medical examination if you haven’t had one recently.
This exam can help your doctor rule out other conditions that may cause symptoms mimicking ADHD symptoms, such as thyroid problems or a seizure disorder.
Who’s qualified to diagnose ADHD in adults?
Your family doctor likely won’t diagnose ADHD unless they have specialized training. But they can refer you to a healthcare practitioner with experience diagnosing ADHD.
Some types of healthcare practitioners who may be able to make the diagnosis include:
- psychiatrists
- neurologists
- developmental pediatricians
- psychologists
- clinical social workers
- nurse practitioners
- licensed counselors or therapists
Your family doctor may have specialized training to diagnose ADHD. But they will often refer you to a specialist to make the diagnosis.
You can find a qualified professional for diagnosing adult ADHD on Healthgrades.
For your healthcare practitioner to diagnose ADHD, they’ll perform a comprehensive evaluation using multiple tests.
The key test is a diagnostic interview, during which you are asked standardized questions. Your healthcare practitioner will also likely want to interview close family members, have you fill out standardized behavior surveys, and perform tests to rule out similar conditions.
ADHD can produce different symptoms in different people. If you think you may have ADHD, it’s important to visit a trained healthcare practitioner for a proper diagnosis.
ADHD can be disruptive to your life, but treatment can help you successfully manage it.