Add/adhd: Treatment Without Identification

ADD/ADHD is not a disorder than should be taken lightly and with that said, diagnosis of ADD/ADHD should also be thorough and inclusive of many tests; psychological and medical that can confirm the disorder ruling out other disorders as well as deviant behavior. More often than not, diagnosis of ADD/ADHD is based solely on reporting of symptoms be it from the individual, parents, teachers and caregivers; and often by the family physician.

This could lead to misdiagnosis of ADD/ADHD whether it is a person not having the disorder having to undergo treatment for ADD/ADHD or those who really do have ADD/ADHD but fail to be diagnosis with it thus not getting the treatment. This over/under-diagnosis has been causing problem for both the medical community as well as society.

The case of misdiagnosis of ADD/ADHD can be attributed to the fact that this disorder possesses symptoms very similar to other common disorder such as depression, anxiety, specific learning disabilities, early onset bipolar disorder, Tourettes Syndrome, food allergies, head injuries, fetal alcohol syndrome, dental problems (such as abscessed root canals or mercury toxicity from fillings). Family dynamics issues, grief or trauma too can be mistaken for ADD/ADHD. Other times, the symptoms can subside with a better approach to parenting.

There is really not many cases of real ADD/ADHD diagnosis out there.

A better way to ensure correct diagnosis is needed as there are many disorders that have symptoms similar to ADD/ADHD.

There is however, a better way to get a more accurate diagnosis of ADD/ADHD. This process is called differential diagnosis.

Merriam-Websters Medical Dictionary defines differential diagnosis as the distinguishing of a disease or condition from others presenting similar symptoms. Essentially, the process takes place in the following manner:

A diagnosis is called clinical decision making. The clinician uses the information gathered from the history and physical examination to develop a list of possible causes of the disorder, called the differential diagnosis. The clinician then decides what tests to order to help refine the list or identify the specific disease responsible for the patients complaints. Encyclopedia Brittanica

The most crucial part of this diagnosis is when the clinician then decides what tests to order to help refine the list or identify the specific disease. However, it is rare that a refinement is carried out due to the fact that there are many obstacles that make it difficult for the clinician to do so. Food allergies, toxicity, and psychological issues are hardly dwelled into because it is not easy to confront with issues such as poor parenting, abuse, or familial stress. Even nutritional deficiency and toxicity is not something that parents or families commit to oversee. The mentality that having ADD/ADHD is more acceptable than displaying early symptoms of developing a major mental disorder also pose as an obstacle to clinician.

Trying to change parental approach of parents is most likely a very challenging task.

It is hard to accept that a diagnosis points to mental illness.

Most people tend to ignore the necessity of meeting nutritional needs as well as addressing allergies and sensitivities. Not many will make effort to avoid toxic substance either.

Treating disorder with medication is the easiest way out.

But, taking the easy way out means that most people are not correctly diagnosed. The only way to accurately diagnose ADD/ADHD is to identify what is causing the symptoms, not medicate them away. And, identification takes time, energy, and resources.