A diagnosis of ADD/ADHD is a process that requires a significant amount of observation and, more importantly, a great deal of psychological and medical testing. However, the majority of individuals who have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD were diagnosed on the reporting of symptoms alone; either self-reporting, or, in the case of a child, reporting from parents, teachers, and caregivers. Many people are being medicated solely on the rushed diagnosis of a family physician who really doesn't have the time to discuss the condition in-depth and who likely fails to recommend the individual for further testing; testing that might rule out other common disorders, or that might even point to nothing more than undesirable behavior.
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.
Many common disorders can mimic the symptoms of ADD/ADHD resulting in an incorrect diagnosis if adequate care is not taken to compare the symptoms of each individual carefully with every available condition rubric. The symptoms of ADD/ADHD are so obtuse that they can easily be attributed to depression, anxiety, specific learning disabilities, early onset bipolar disorder, Tourette's 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, and even simple poor parenting!
The likelihood that ADD/ADHD will be diagnosed correctly is extremely low.
The fact that symptoms of many conditions and disorders are so often mistaken for ADD/ADHD warrants a closer look at the way that diagnosis takes place.
There is however, a better way to get a more accurate diagnosis of ADD/ADHD. This process is called differential diagnosis.
Differential diagnosis as defined by Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary is "the distinguishing of a disease or condition from others presenting similar symptoms". It is usually done the following way:
A diagnosis, known as clinical decision making is carried out on the patient starting with gathering of information on the history and physical examination of the patient. All this is to help the clinician single out possible disorder. This process is called differential diagnosis. Further tests that correspond to the listed disorders are carried out to find which one that could be the most correct disorder for the patient- Encyclopedia Brittanica.
It is believed that the most significant part of the process is when "the clinician then decides what tests to order to help refine the list or identify the specific disease". Though the reality of it is that in many cases refinement never occurs. This is due to many factors such as some issues can become something quite sensitive to be investigated. These includes conditions such as food allergies, toxicity, and psychological. If it is found that a child is displaying symptoms due to poor parenting, abuse or family related stress, it becomes difficult for the physician to confront parents. Not all parents are prepared to cooperate when nutritional deficiency or toxicity is the main cause for these symptoms. Some would also rather face ADD/ADHD than face reality of developing early stages of mental disorder.
Suggesting that parents change their method of parenting can be an impossible mission.
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.
It's easier to medicate.
What can be said about simply medicating ADD/ADHD without proper diagnosis is that it has caused many misdiagnosis contributing to dangerous side effects. A proper diagnosis is needed by thorough investigation on what causes the symptoms. This will of course require a lot of energy, time and resources.
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