ADHD is a common issue that many kids and teens are evaluated and diagnosed with. Many adults are now also seeking evaluation for ADHD. Psychiatrists are medical specialists that treat ADHD. Logic would lead you to believe they also diagnose ADHD, but that is not necessarily the case.
Can a Psychiatrist Diagnose ADHD?
Psychiatrists are certainly experts on all the symptoms of ADHD. Psychiatrists could certainly conduct a clinical interview and go through the symptoms with a person and determine if they meet criteria for ADHD. A good psychiatrist may even solicit information from family to determine if there was evidence of childhood onset, which is a criterion of ADHD. However, there is a problem with this as 50% of people experience marked improvement and even outgrow their ADHD between 16-24 years of age.
The other problem is that ADHD has many mirroring and overlapping symptoms. Things like depression, anxiety or substance abuse can manifest symptoms that look like ADHD. Because of this a psychiatric clinic interview, symptom report, and even collateral information is no longer the gold standard for ADHD evaluation. Psychological testing is what most doctors are looking for before treating ADHD. Psychiatrists are not trained in psychological testing, only psychologists are.
Are there Neurocognitive Difference in People with ADHD?
Studies have found neurocognitive differences in a variety of measures that are indicative of ADHD. Frontal lobes house our executive level abilities such as working memory and processing speed. Those people with ADHD often show drops in very specific tests that are designed to measure working memory and processing speed. There are a few other tests that psychologists perform that people with ADHD often struggle with relative to norms and standards. Collectively these test results demonstrate a composite set of scores that make it pretty clear whether a person has ADHD or not.
Although PET scans and Function MRIs could probably diagnose ADHD, they are extremely expensive and most insurance plans won’t cover that type of procedure. Fortunately, there is an alternative that is more cost effective. Psychologists can do a battery of tests to evaluate for frontal lobe deficits that suggest ADHD. Psychologists and psychiatrists have long worked together to treat mental health issues in clients. Psychologists usually do counseling and therapy where psychiatrists do medication management. When it comes to ADHD psychologists do the testing and diagnosis of ADHD and psychiatrist do the treatment and medication management of ADHD.
If you want ADHD testing, IPC has both psychologists to diagnosis and psychiatrist to treat ADHD. Feel free to contact IPC so you can schedule an appointment for testing. Please call us now at 763-416-4167, or request an appointment on our website: WWW.IPC-MN.COM so we can sit down with you and complete a thorough assessment and help you develop a plan of action that will work for you. Life is too short to be unhappy. Find the peace of mind you deserve.
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