What to expect during ADHD assessment?

[Barbrady1]

After waiting seemingly forever, I am finally going to be assessed for ADHD on Thursday.

Thus far, all I know is that I will be asked questions about my childhood by two individuals, and they want me to print off and complete two questionnaires (which I am yet to receive) prior to the meeting on Thursday.

Is there anything else that I should expect to be asked?

I sincerely hope it's nothing like my ASD assessment, where it felt as if my IQ was being tested.

[sarahsweets]

There are no tests for adhd so if they claim their are, especially if they cost you a lot of money, I would be skeptical. They should take a thorough history- and I mean thorough as in your childhood, your childhood impairments, you adult life, adult impairments and coping skills. If you have any records or school reports from your childhood thats good too but not required. I would recommend calling to get those surveys. You want to make sure you arent rushed when finishing them.

[Barbrady1]

Originally Posted by sarahsweets

There are no tests for adhd so if they claim their are, especially if they cost you a lot of money, I would be skeptical. They should take a thorough history- and I mean thorough as in your childhood, your childhood impairments, you adult life, adult impairments and coping skills. If you have any records or school reports from your childhood thats good too but not required. I would recommend calling to get those surveys. You want to make sure you arent rushed when finishing them.

It's facilitated by the NHS, so I cannot doubt its credibility.

[sarahsweets]

Originally Posted by Barbrady1

It's facilitated by the NHS, so I cannot doubt its credibility.

I wasnt doubting its credibility either, just sharing.

[kilted_scotsman]

There may be tests.... but these should be to rule out other possibilities.

There should also be a long history taking and there may be more IQ type tests.

[sarahsweets]

All I meant was if there is a "test" for adhd to be wary, because there are no specific tests for adhd.

[kilted_scotsman]

I get that there are no tests for ADHD, however it's important to follow that by saying that a good psych will be testing for other things that are testable. Likewise they may use scoring questionnaires such as EMWSS to build up the best picture of their patient they can in the time available.

Each clinician will have their own way of doing this.

People going for an ADHD assessment who have taken on board the "There's no test for ADHD" without understanding that tests are an integral part of the diagnostic process, might be sceptical about their psych's skill and credibility if tests are administered.

Tests are a mark of a good clinician, not a bad one.

[PoppnNSailinMan]

Originally Posted by kilted_scotsman

I get that there are no tests for ADHD, however it's important to follow that by saying that a good psych will be testing for other things that are testable. Likewise they may use scoring questionnaires such as EMWSS to build up the best picture of their patient they can in the time available.

Each clinician will have their own way of doing this.

People going for an ADHD assessment who have taken on board the "There's no test for ADHD" without understanding that tests are an integral part of the diagnostic process, might be sceptical about their psych's skill and credibility if tests are administered.

Tests are a mark of a good clinician, not a bad one.

I've noticed in all my ADHD books, that some ADHD experts really like tests and some are a little more ambivalent about them. I recently got a book by J. Russell Ramsay and Anthony Rostain, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adult ADHD: An Integrative Psychosocial and Medical Approach (Second edition, 2015). Both of these authors are cofounders of the Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and I can tell from their book that they really like doing lots of tests as part of the diagnosis process.

Ari Tuckman, the author of Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD, seems more ambivalent about them. He writes (p. 43):

Because of their lack of specificity with this diagnosis, traditional psychological and neuropsychological testing instruments should not be considered de facto parts of an ADHD assessment (Gordon, Barkley, & Lovett, 2006). They're good tools, but not for this job, so they should not be used beyond their capabilities - for example, a hammer will indeed get the cap off a beer bottle but it is not the best way to accomplish that goal. Rather, these instruments are most helpful when there is a credible suspicion that there is a comorbid condition, such as another neurological disorder, a learning disability, or a cognitive or emotional factor, that is either confounding the diagnostic picture or better explains the symptoms; or if there is too much inconsistency across the other data to make a diagnosis confidently.

[Little Missy]

One thing is for certain, be sure to wear clean underpants.

[CasioCurious]

They have to go through a lot of digging in your past, especially childhood to make sure your not just stressed out or depressed. So, you have to be honest with yourself and the doctors.