About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffThe following chart from the National Institute of Mental Health lists the types of doctors who are qualified to diagnose and supervise treatment for ADHD, although not all may have specific training in the disorder.
| Specialist | Can diagnose ADHD? | Can prescribe medications, if needed? | Provides counseling or training? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychiatrist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Psychologist | Yes | No | Yes |
| Family doctor | Yes | Yes | Usually no |
| Neurologist | Yes | Yes | No |
Diagnosing ADHD in adults
It can be more challenging to identify ADHD in adults than in children. The signs and symptoms in adults can be hard to spot. No single test can confirm the diagnosis. Your doctor will likely start by doing a physical exam and asking you a number of questions.
Ruling out other conditions
Your doctor or mental health provider will consider whether your symptoms may be caused by something other than ADHD. Conditions that can cause symptoms similar to those caused by ADHD include:
- Mental health disorders. A number of other mental health conditions can mimic ADHD both in children and in adults, including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, adjustment disorders, learning and language deficits, and psychotic disorders.
- Other health problems. Your doctor may consider a different diagnosis or refer you to a specialist if you have a history of a developmental disorder, seizures, sleep apnea, hearing or vision problems, a thyroid disorder, lead poisoning or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
- Drugs and medications. Alcohol or drug abuse and certain medications can cause ADHD-like symptoms.
Evaluating signs and symptoms that you had ADHD as a child
A persistent pattern of signs and symptoms, beginning no later than age 7, is essential for a diagnosis of adult ADHD. You may have a hard time remembering whether your problems date back to childhood. For that reason, your doctor may ask for your old school records and gather information from teachers, parents and anyone else who knew you when you were young. Your doctor will also want to hear from your spouse, a parent, close friend or someone else who knows you well.
Diagnostic criteria for ADHD
To be diagnosed with ADHD, you must meet the criteria spelled out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association.
The DSM assessment was developed primarily for children, but uses the same criteria to diagnose adults. When considering your symptoms, your doctor or mental health provider will consider what symptoms you had as a child, as well as which symptoms you still have as an adult.
For a diagnosis of ADHD, you must have six or more signs and symptoms from one or both of the two categories below:
Inattention
- Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in work or other activities
- Often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks
- Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly
- Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish work or other duties (not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand instructions)
- Often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities
- Often avoids, dislikes or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort
- Often loses things necessary for tasks or activities
- Is often easily distracted
- Is often forgetful in daily activities
Hyperactivity and impulsivity
- Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat
- Often leaves the room in situations in which remaining seated is expected
- Often physically active in situations in which it is inappropriate
- Often has difficulty engaging in leisure activities quietly
- Is often "on the go" or often acts as if "driven by a motor"
- Often talks excessively
- Often blurts out answers before questions have been completed
- Often has difficulty awaiting turn
- Often interrupts or intrudes on others (for example, butts into conversations or games)
In addition to having at least six symptoms from one of the two categories, someone with adult ADHD:
- Has inattentive or hyperactive-impulsive signs and symptoms that caused impairment and were present before age 7
- Had behaviors that weren't normal for children the same age who didn't have ADHD
- Has symptoms for at least six months
- Has symptoms that hurt school, work, home life or relationships in more than one setting
Other criteria for diagnosing ADHD in adults
Because symptoms of ADHD will differ in adults from those in the DSM criteria — especially those listed for symptoms of hyperactive behavior — other criteria more specific to adults are generally used to help confirm a diagnosis.
A number of questionnaires and expanded lists of signs and symptoms have been developed to check for signs of adult ADHD. Your doctor may have you answer the questions on one of these to help determine whether you have ADHD.
In addition, your doctor will carefully examine the impact of your core symptoms on your current life — your performance at work or in school and your relationships with friends and family.
- Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. National Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov. Accessed Oct. 22, 2009.
- Kates N. Attention deficit disorder in adults: Management in primary care. Canadian Family Physician. 2005;5:53.
- Kolar D, et al. Treatment of adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. 2008;4:389.
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Oct. 22, 2009.
- Dodson WW. Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder. In: Jacobson JL, et al. Psychiatric Secrets. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Hanley & Belfus; 2001. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/170825310-4/0/1167/120.html?tocnode=49275872&fromURL=120.html#4-u1.0-B1-56053-418-4..50059-5_1165. Accessed Sept. 22, 2009.
- Hall-Flavin DK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 11, 2009.
- Plizska S. Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology. 2007;46:894.
- Martinez M, et al. Psychopharmacology. In: Hales RE. Textbook of Psychiatry. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2008. http://www.psychiatryonline.com/content.aspx?aID=320457&searchStr=antidepressive+agents. Accessed Oct. 22, 2009.
- Weber W, et al. Complementary and alternative medical therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2007;54:983.
Find Mayo Clinic on