Scope & purpose of this policy
This policy outlines the necessary components of an assessment for the diagnosis of ADHD.
To accept a referral for the consideration of prescribing medication for ADHD, we require that certain areas have been considered in an assessment and are outlined in a diagnostic report, which we will review prior to accepting the referral.
If your existing ADHD assessment meets the criteria below there will be no requirement to repeat a full ADHD assessment.
Criteria for ADHD assessments conducted outwith The Edinburgh Practice that allow a client to be treated for ADHD without requiring an additional ADHD assessment
The criteria below are based on NICE guidelines in relation to the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of ADHD (NICE guideline [NG87]).
We will request that you send the practice a copy of your diagnostic report for the Clinical Lead to review to ensure that it meets the criteria outlined below:
• Diagnosis is made by a specialist in the field e.g. psychiatrist, paediatrician and/or an appropriately trained and qualified health care professional with expertise in ADHD assessment
• The assessment process is described in a formalised and thorough ADHD assessment report outlining the assessment process, findings and recommendations
• A full clinical assessment, including a detailed developmental history and psychiatric history
• Description of ADHD symptoms, including discussion around behaviour and symptoms across different life domains
• Mental state assessment
• Comment on observation of the client’s clinical presentation
• Medical history of client and close family members
• Co-morbidities are considered
• Concurrent medication is taken into consideration
• Description on why the client meets the diagnostic criteria for ADHD with reference to DSM-5/ICD-11 diagnostic criteria
• Use of standardised and age-appropriate questionnaires and tools (e.g. DIVA, Connors, SNAP-IV, ASRS)
• Description of the level of functional impairment due to ADHD symptoms
• Assessment of risk
• Interview of collateral/observer reports
• For children and young people, evidence that information from an education setting has been gathered as part of the assessment
Further information
If you have a been given a diagnosis of ADHD and the diagnostic report does not fulfil the criteria above, you may wish to consider the following options:
• You could share this document with the professional who completed your ADHD assessment and ask if they did cover the above areas during your assessment. If these areas were covered in your assessment, you could request that this information is included in your report and then return the updated report to the practice for review.
• If you have not received an ADHD assessment report from your healthcare provider, you could share this document with them and request that they provide an assessment report to allow you to gain access to treatment. You can then return this report to the practice for review.
• You may wish to consider undertaking a comprehensive ADHD assessment, these are available through The Edinburgh Practice and other healthcare providers.