Overview Of ADHD Diagnosis

The diagnosis method for ADHD is a subjectively answered scoring system where doctors present symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity to their patients. If the patients believe that they exhibit a sufficient amount of symptoms in daily life, an ADHD diagnosis takes place. As a result of the subjectivity of the testing, there are misdiagnoses, incorrect treatments given, and a glaring lack of education about medications used to alleviate the symptoms of this disorder. While doctors argue that prescription medications such as Ritalin and Adderall help to combat the immediate symptoms associated with ADHD, a lack of attention given to other treatment options leads to increased use of prescription medication, and in turn, increased prescription
drug abuse. A recreation of the diagnosis method to a process that evaluates patients over a long period of time with doctors who thoroughly understand ADHD symptoms will decrease patient subjectivity in diagnosis and increase accuracy. Without this fix, misdiagnosis of disorders such as ADHD means that doctors overlook other possible medical illnesses passed off as this disorder. In addition, prescription drug abuse of Ritalin and Adderall continues. Education on misuse of medications such as Ritalin and Adderall is not a topic that the general public is well versed in, and this abuse continues to be a detrimental issue. In order to solve the problem of ADHD misdiagnosis and prescription drug abuse, medical officials need to update, and essentially recreate, the scale for diagnosis to produce more accurate results.

Introduction
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, commonly known as ADHD, affects children, teens, and adults of all backgrounds.
Although the cause of this disorder is not specifically known, there are factors that make this disorder more likely in some individuals than others, such as those who hereditarily have ADHD in the family, those exposed to toxic substances such as tobacco or alcohol during pregnancy, and individuals who suffered environmental exposure to high levels of lead at a young age (“Attention”). A genetic test for diagnosing ADHD is not yet available. Currently, the method of diagnosing ADHD is with a scoring chart called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th edition (DMS-5) which has not been fundamentally updated to cater to new ways of ADHD diagnosis. Using the DMS-5, six or more symptoms must be consistently present in individuals under the age of seventeen, and five or more symptoms must consistently be present in older adolescents and adults aged seventeen years and older, where hyperactive-impulsive symptoms were present prior to the age of twelve. The DMS-5 is subjectively answered by patients, who, when presented with certain symptoms, agree or disagree that specific symptoms are consistently present in their lives (“Symptoms”). This means that scoring is subjective and may not result in accurate
diagnosis.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is mental disorder, usually diagnosed in childhood, that makes it difficult for affected individuals to focus, have patience, and suppress hyperactive or impulsive behaviors.
Ultimately, ADHD makes it difficult to do well or behave in social situations such as in school, at home, or in the community (“Attention”). For diagnosed individuals, possible treatment options are medications such as Adderall and Ritalin, which are stimulants that relax and improve concentration in individuals with ADHD (“Stimulant”). Both Adderall and Ritalin contain central nervous system stimulants that alter chemicals in the brain and nerves to counteract hyperactive impulsive symptoms such as distraction, forgetfulness, fidgeting, and excessive talking (“Symptoms”). Both medications speed up signals through the central nervous system and prevent cells from reabsorbing norepinephrine and dopamine, which are two examples of neurotransmitters. In addition, Ritalin takes effect and reaches peak performance quicker than Adderall (Morris). Most importantly, both medications have addictive
qualities.
The general agreement among scholars is that patients who suffer from ADHD need treatment options focused mainly around medications such as Adderall and Ritalin. Most scholars tend to discuss the effects of these medications on patients who have ADHD with a particular focus on the suppression of symptoms and the long term effects of using prescriptions. Sharon Levy et al. conducted an experiment focused on the correlation between childhood ADHD and adulthood substance abuse dependency. Their results show evidence that adults diagnosed with ADHD in childhood are more likely than those who do not have ADHD to develop a drug dependency, which is a disorder linked with neurological transformations in the brain (Levy). In comparison, an experiment conducted by Bianca E. Boyer et al. explores two cognitive-behavioral treatments: a planning-focused treatment and a solution-focused treatment. As an alternative to medication, their evidence reports that both types of cognitive-behavioral treatments were successful in patients gaining control of their ADHD symptoms, with only marginal differences in the effectiveness of the differing plan-focused and solution-focused treatments (Boyer). Moshe Fried et al. concluded that both blink and rapid eye movement rates were higher in ADHD subjects that in subjects without ADHD. They determined, however, that with medication, the rapid eye movement as well as blink rates of ADHD subjects decreased to the rates of the patients without ADHD. Their study concluded that medication combats these physical symptoms of this disorder to help in treatment and focus (Fried).
Both Levy et al. and Boyer et al. argue against the use of medication for ADHD treatment. Levy et al. proved that medication used by individuals with ADHD can result in dependencies on these medications, and Boyer et al. proved that there are treatment options that do not involve prescriptions. Levy et al. differs from Fried et al. because Fried et al. believes in and proved that the use of medication is a successful treatment for ADHD while Levy et al. argued against medications to avoid substance dependency. While Levy et al. addresses the negative effects of medication, Boyer et al. avoids discussion of possible effects of medication by only arguing that treatment options, such as cognitive behavioral treatments, are successful. Although each scholar makes a stance on medication for ADHD treatment, there are gaps in their research that lack consideration of differing severities in ADHD patients and diverse treatment options that would work in each unique situation.
Although the scholars discuss different treatments and the effects of these treatments on ADHD patients, they do not address the differing levels of severity expected in ADHD diagnosis. Levy et al. and Boyer et al. seem to overlook the fact that some individuals need prescription medication to overcome symptoms when other forms of treatment prove unsuccessful. However, Fried et al. addresses the effectiveness of medication as an ADHD treatment without consideration of long term effects such as addiction and abuse. In addition, Levy et al. incorrectly assumes that prescription medication used to treat ADHD patients in childhood is likely to result in substance abuse disorders in adulthood, when in reality, many patients with severe ADHD would benefit greatly from medicinal treatment and would not develop substance use disorders.