NPR

Adult ADHD Can't Be Diagnosed With A Simple Screening Test, Doctors Warn

Despite support from the World Health Organization for the latest adult ADHD screening survey, some researchers worry that it will lead to over-prescribing of powerful amphetamines.
Adult ADHD can be difficult to diagnose.

Diagnosing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be difficult. The symptoms of the disorder, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, or DSM, have changed multiple times.

And, even if you know what to look for, many of the symptoms are pretty general, including things like trouble focusing and a tendency to interrupt people. Discerning the difference between people who have a problem and those who are just distracted requires real expertise.

Which is why many people were excited when earlier this year a World Health Organization advisory group endorsed a six-question screening published in the reported could reliably identify adults with ADHD.

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