2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Elle May Rice)
A consultant psychiatrist has revealed the process he follows when evaluating patients for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Dr Ali Ajaz, who boasts over 90k followers on TikTok, explained the various steps involved in analysing patients both prior to and during an assessment. ADHD is characterised by the NHS as a behavioural disorder that can manifest as restlessness, concentration difficulties, and impulsive behaviour.
Symptoms typically appear early in life and may become more noticeable with environmental changes, such as beginning school. Yet, it's possible for some individuals to reach adulthood without an ADHD diagnosis if it was not recognised in their younger years. In a recent TikTok post, Dr Ajaz detailed the exact procedure he employs when assessing someone for ADHD.
The doctor elaborated: "Ever wondered what happens in an ADHD assessment? Well, come here, let's find out. Hi, my name is Dr Ali Ajaz, consultant psychiatrist, and I've assessed many, many people with ADHD. "And if you book an assessment with me, this is what happens.
So firstly, soon after you book, you receive an email from me containing three forms to complete and return back to me before we meet," reports the Mirror . He added: "One form is the ASRS screening form for ADHD symptoms. The second is a more detailed questionnaire with 18 questions, covering a range of possible ADHD symptoms.
"And the third form is not actually for you, it's for someone who knows you well enough to be able to comment upon your mental health. And often when it comes to ADHD, it's really helpful to get parents account, siblings or partners, especially if you've been together a long time." The doctor added: "Next, I take a full clinical history which really charts your personal history from the day you were born, your childhood, school life, home life and overall life journey until the current day.
We also review your medical and psychiatric history, any treatments that you've had, any therapies that you've had in the past or taking at the moment, or any over the counter medications or supplements that you're also taking." He also said: "And another important aspect is your social history. What are your current social networks like? Family history of any mental health problems? It's also really important to establish, along with any history, current or past of alcohol use and or recreational drugs.
"And finally, after being really nosy about your life, we review the symptoms of ADHD that you may be experiencing and contextualise them into the journey of your life." According to the NHS, ADHD symptoms in adults include: inability to deal with stress carelessness and lack of attention to detail taking risks in activities, often with little or no regard for personal safety or the safety of others – for example, driving dangerously poor organisational skills inability to focus or prioritise blurting out responses and often interrupting others forgetfulness extreme impatience difficulty keeping quiet, and speaking out of turn continually losing or misplacing things mood swings, irritability and a quick temper continually starting new tasks before finishing old ones restlessness and edginess.
