Expanded, Objective ADHD Screening Tools Needed: Expert Consortium Calls for Diagnosis Overhaul

additudemag.com:

July 19, 2022ADHD is a complex diagnosis that most clinicians are ill-equipped to make thanks, in part, to poor understanding of condition comorbidities and inadequate diagnostic tools, especially for adults.

This is the finding of the ADHD Expert Consortium, a panel of experts convened to study barriers to effective diagnosis and treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and to propose solutions in a consensus statement that included five main recommendations:“ADHD must be viewed as a public health problem producing a substantial impact on the health, quality of life, and economic viability of the U.S.

population,” the panel wrote.Most primary care providers, psychiatrists, and neurologists today lack the confidence and skills needed to accurately screen, treat, and make referrals for ADHD 1, leading to “negative effects on personal development, academic outcomes, and family interactions.”2, 3 Quality ADHD care is scarce, according to the consortium, because most healthcare professionals lack an “understanding about the intersection between culture and ADHD presentation and management.”The development of universal best practices and consistent use of objective testing would help improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes for patients, especially adults who don’t present stereotypical hyperactive or impulsive symptoms and those who come from diverse cultures or socio-economic backgrounds.