HEALTHY LIFESTYLE ยท JULY 2017
HOW TO
RECOGNIZE
ADD IN
ADULTS
D
id you know that ADHD, or
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder, isn't just a disorder
children suffer from? Over the
last couple of decades, more
and more adults have been diagnosed with
it, and that's not to mention the estimated
number of adults who've yet to be diagnosed
it.
No matter what your age, the problem can be
difficult to diagnose. The symptoms that are
synonymous with ADHD can be attributed
to many other disorders or hard to pinpoint
unless there is clear evidence of other
symptoms.
THESE SIX QUESTIONS MAKE UP
THE NEW ADHD SCREENING TEST:
1. How often do you have difficulty
concentrating on what people say to
you, even when they are speaking to you
directly?
2. How often do you leave your seat in
meetings or other situations in which
you are expected to remain seated?
3. How often do you have difficulty
unwinding and relaxing when you have
time to yourself?
4. When you're in a conversation, how
The test was designed by an advisory group
often do you find yourself finishing
of the World Health Organization. They,
the sentences of the people you are
along with two board-certified psychiatrists,
talking to before they can finish them
is based on updated ADHD criteria as it's
themselves?
lined out in the Diagnostic and Statistical
5. How often do you put things off until the
Manual of Mental Disorders-5. These criteria
last minute?
are broader than the original version because 6. How often do you depend on others
the previous version didn't accurately detect
to keep your life in order and attend to
a broad cross-section of adults who suffer
details?
with mild to extreme cases of ADHD.
BUT DOCTORS MAY HAVE
COME UP WITH A WAY TO
MAKE A DIAGNOSIS EASIER
TO DETERMINE. THEY'VE
CREATED A SIMPLE SIX-
QUESTION SCREENING
TEST THAT MAY BE ABLE TO
DETERMINE IF AN ADULT
HAS ADHD ACCURATELY.
The answers for these questions include
either "never", "rarely", "sometimes", "often",
and "very often". The "never" response gets
a score of zero. Scores for higher responses
vary. In total, they can collectively add up
to a maximum number of 24. A score of 14
points or more may indicate a diagnosis of
Adult onset ADHD. Of course, this test is
not the only thing to consider when trying
to determine a diagnosis, but it provides a
strong basis for a potential diagnosis.
If when you take the quiz and think