How to Use the DSM to Diagnose ADHD

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV), details diagnostic criteria for mental disorders as established by the American Psychiatric Association. For Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) the criteria is based on a person's ability to establish and maintain attention to tasks; activity level and impulse control; age of onset of symptoms; disruption to the person's life, work and schooling; and the ruling out other possible disorders. While you may wish to read the criteria in order to explore whether you or someone else may have ADHD, only a qualified specialist can actually diagnose a person based on the DSM.

Instructions

• 1

  The first set of criteria deals with attention problems. Part of the criteria is that the person should have experienced attention-deficit problems for at least six months. The person does not have to meet all of the requirements but must meet six of them. The requirements concern attention to tasks, ability to follow direction, ability to complete tasks, ability to self-regulate and organize, avoidance of tasks that are difficult and tendency for distraction. These criteria must be met while ruling out any problems the person may have with regard to comprehension or other behavioral difficulties.

• 2

  The second set of criteria is concerned with hyperactivity. As with the attention set, the symptoms must have been an issue for longer than six months, and the person must meet at least six of the criteria. The criteria address how well a person is able to control his actions at times and in places where such control is expected. For instance, a child that is unable to sit quietly in class and attend to the teacher and is disruptive physically and verbally may be suffering hyperactivity.

• 3

  The criteria also ask to what degree symptoms disrupt the person's home, work and school life. When the person is tested, the psychiatrist or mental-health specialist will ask the client or a caregiver to fill out multiple questionnaires designed to diagnose the degree to which a person suffers from attention deficit and hyperactivity. This is because there is a spectrum of severity on which a person may fall. A client may have both attention deficit and hyperactivity issues to the same degree and may be diagnosed with a combined type of ADHD, or the client may have more of either hyperactivity or attention-deficit problems. The health-care professional must also rule out any other medical or mental health issues which may be the actual cause of a client's symptoms.