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Topics: Health, Mental Health, Science, Psychology
Joe Yates
Topics: Health, Mental Health, Science, Psychology
A few questions are enough to determine whether someone has ADHD, depending on their answers, according to one controversial test.
The simple two-minute test has 18 questions on it in total, split into two, and the first six of which could apparently determine whether 'the patient has symptoms highly consistent with ADHD in adults and further investigation is warranted'.
It's a term we're all familiar with, but I'll quickly explain what exactly attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is - a neuro-developmental condition that can affect people's behaviour.
People with ADHD can seem restless, have issues with concentration, and may struggle to focus.
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The symptoms associated with ADHD are often noticed in early childhood, therefore many cases are diagnosed in kids under the age of 12. However, sometimes symptoms go unnoticed, and people with ADHD are diagnosed as adults.
Anyway, back to the test, known as 'Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS)'.
It was created by the World Health Organization (WHO), alongside Harvard Medical School experts, while the questions are designed as to learn more about a participant's attention span, as well as their organization skills and how restless they are, all key factors in ADHD.
The first six questions are:
1. How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project, once the challenging parts have been done?
2. How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?
3. How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?
4. When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?
5. How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit down tor a long time?
6. How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things, like you were driven by a motor?
If a participant answers four of the six questions in a certain way, it determines whether or not you have it.
TTests like the ASRS have become controversial, with many believing ADHD diagnosis in adults has become so frequent that it's 'elastic', according to University College London's Professor Joanna Moncrieff.
"One psychiatrist in one service can think almost everyone has it while another psychiatrist in another service thinks very few people have it," she told MailOnline.
"The criteria for ADHD are subjective and we all have the symptoms of ADHD to one extent or another.
"This concept of ADHD has got out there and everyone is reinterpreting their difficulties in the light this new idea, 'I’m not bored and don’t like my job, I have ADHD'."