Michelle Anderson's List: The rise of ADHD and accurate diagnosis

I liked this website as it gave a general overview of some behavioural disorders the diagnosis and treatments. Upon looking into ADHD I found that some of the disorders symptoms seem to overlap - hence the reason I think it is a good general resource if a person is just starting to look into behavioural disorders. There are many factors to consider before jumping into a diagnosis of which some are listed here and is food for thought.

The article outlines how previous research/diagnosis/definations have hampered research and viewpoints. However, there has also been progress in classifying ADHD, which proves to be difficult as not all cases are the same. This classification (DSM-IV) aids in a more accurate diagnosis. The symptoms/behaviors described in the classification fall under inattention and/or hyperactivity. These are then formed into 3 specific subtypes of ADHD. Symptoms/behaviors used to diagnose are based on developmental context and also rely heavily on teacher/parent reports. Unfortunately initial diagnosis is through primary health care professionals i.e Doctors, of which only a small percentage use the correct standardised assessments. Even if diagnosis is correctly proformed eg with DSM_IV the obstacle from this is the inability to combine the DSM-IV reports with that of parent/teacher reports. Co-morbidity's, obtaining accurate client history's, large enough population based studies are all factors that make accurate diagnosis a challenge. From at least the 1950's studies into the causes/risk factors/symptoms of ADHD have provided some direction and theories, but still alot more research and changes to the current methods of assessment are required to appropriately diagnose and treat those with ADHD.