Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Look-alikes
Post by Lynne Master on August 18th, 2011 in ADD and ADHD
Anyone who suggests that a person should be “tested for ADD or ADHD” should cause you to run in the other direction. The diagnosis cannot be made with a blood test or even a written test.
My bias is that ADD or ADHD should be diagnosed by a medical doctor. A medical doctor has the training to provide a differential diagnosis. This means that she looks at the symptoms and rules out what it isn’t, being left with what it is.
More than twenty look-alikes have similar or common symptoms, but require different interventions or treatments. They may mask, resemble, or accompany ADD or ADHD and require a doctor’s knowledge to be sure.
Here they are:
Adrenal gland tumors, anxiety disorder; bipolar disorder or mania, borderline personality, brain tumor, coffee/cola excess, depression, chronic fatigue, conduct disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, gifted intelligence, hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, impulse control, lead poisoning, learning disabilities, medication reaction, obsessive compulsive disorder, narcissism, oppositional defiant disorder, pathological gambling, passive-aggressive personality, posttraumatic stress disorder, seizure disorder, situational disturbances, substance abuse, and Tourette’s syndrome.
Who among us is willing to risk these possibilities for an expedient and easy answer?
Although a doctor may recommend psychological or educational testing for more information, the medical diagnosis is what is most important. It will require a thorough anecdotal historical record. The onset of one, any combination of two or all three factors must have been present before the age of six. These factors include distractibility, impulsivity, and/or hyperactivity. The behavior must be chronic and pervasive, not situational or environmental.
For up-to-date information go to www.chadd.org or www.help4adhd.org.
Post Tags: ADD, ADHD, special education
