being assessed and others closely associated, such as parents’
teachers, colleagues, etc. The interviews include questions
regarding behaviors in typical situations with the responses
being rated from “never” to “very often” (Alvarez-McHatton). A
google search will turn up a number of self-assessment tests for
the presence of ADD/ADHD, with the disclaimer that one should
not self-diagnose. (The question that comes to my mind is, are
these self-assessments a tool to train one how to respond to a
real test?) Taking the test myself, I fell quite clearly in the
“ADD/Predominately Inattentive” category.
But, I already
knew that about myself. Further complicating diagnosis is the
fact that not all ADD/ADHD sufferers exhibit the same
symptoms. Diagnosis is based not on physical symptoms, but
rather on behaviors exhibited by the patient. These behaviors
must occur in multiple settings, such as school, home, and
work.
For a medical diagnosis of ADD- Inattentive Type, the
subject must exhibit at least 6 of