Diagnosing ADHD

If you think that you or your child may have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you might want to consider speaking to your GP about it.

If you're worried about your child, it may help to speak to their teachers before seeing your GP, to find outiftheyhave any concerns about your child's behaviour.

Your GP can't formally diagnose ADHD, but they can discuss your concerns with you and refer you for a specialist assessment, if necessary.

When you see your GP, they may ask you:

  • about your symptomsor those of your child
  • when these symptoms started
  • where the symptoms occurfor example, at home or in school
  • whetherthe symptoms affect your or your childs day-to-day lifefor example, if they make socialising difficult
  • if there have been any recent significant events in yourlife or your child's, such asa death or divorce in the family
  • if there's a family history of ADHD
  • about any other problems or symptoms of different health conditions you or your child may have

Next steps

If your GP thinks your child may have ADHD, they may first suggest a period of "watchful waiting" lasting around 10 weeksto see if your child's symptoms improve, stay the same or get worse. They may also suggeststarting a parent training or education programme to teach you ways of helping your child (seetreating ADHD for more information).

If your child's behaviour doesn't improve, and both you and your GPbelieve it's seriously affecting their day-to-day life, your GP should refer you and your child to a specialist for a formal assessment (see below).

For adults with possible ADHD, your GP will assess your symptoms and may refer you for an assessment if:

  • you weren't diagnosed with ADHD as a child, but your symptoms began during childhood and have been ongoing since then
  • your symptoms can't be explained by a mental health condition
  • your symptoms have asignificant impact on your day-to-day lifefor example, if you're underachieving at work or find intimate relationships difficult

You may also be referred to a specialist if you had ADHD as a child or young person, and your symptoms are now causing moderate or severe functional impairment.

Assessment

There are a number of different specialists that you or your child may be referred to for a formal assessment, including:

  • a child or adult psychiatrist
  • a paediatrician (a specialist in children's health)
  • alearning disability specialist, social worker or occupational therapist with expertise in ADHD

Who you're referred to depends on your age and what's available in your local area.

There's no simple test to determine whether you or your child have ADHD, but your specialist can make an accurate diagnosis after a detailed assessment that may include:

  • a physical examination, which can help rule out other possible causes for the symptoms
  • a series of interviews with you or your child
  • interviews or reports from other significant people, such as partners, parents and teachers

The criteria for making a diagnosis of ADHD in children, teenagers and adults are outlined below.

Diagnosis in children and teenagers

Diagnosing ADHD in children depends on a set of strict criteria. To be diagnosed with ADHD, your child must have six or more symptoms of inattentiveness, or six or more symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsiveness.

However, undercurrent diagnostic guidelines, a diagnosis of ADHD in adults can't be confirmed unless your symptoms have been present from childhood.

If you find it difficult to remember whether you had problems as a child, or you weren't diagnosed with ADHD when you were younger, your specialist may wish to see your old school records or talk to your parents, teachers or anyone else who knew you well when you were a child.

For an adult to be diagnosed with ADHD, their symptoms should also have a moderate impact on different areas of their life, such as:

  • underachieving at work or in education
  • driving dangerously
  • difficultly making or keeping friends
  • difficulty in relationships with partners

If your problems are recent and didn't occur regularly in the past, you're not considered to have ADHD. This is because it's currently not thought that ADHD can develop for the first time in adults.

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 30 Nov 2016