Who Can Diagnose ADHD?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWho Can DiagnoseWho Can Prescribe MedicineWho Can TreatChoosing the Right Specialist

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Who Can Diagnose

Who Can Prescribe Medicine

Who Can Treat

Choosing the Right Specialist

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For individuals withattention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), receiving a proper diagnosis is critical to getting the necessary treatment.Knowing who can diagnose ADHD is a good first step in this process, as is recognizing who can prescribe ADHD medicine if it’s needed.

The good news is that ADHD is highly treatable, often responding well to various types oftherapies and medications.A qualified professional can help decide the best course of treatment based on the symptoms present and their severity.

At a GlanceA variety of medical and mental health professionals can diagnose ADHD, but only physicians with a medical degree can prescribe ADHD medication. Choosing the right professional for treatment involves considering treatment goals, in addition to asking important questions about their qualifications and services.

At a Glance

A variety of medical and mental health professionals can diagnose ADHD, but only physicians with a medical degree can prescribe ADHD medication. Choosing the right professional for treatment involves considering treatment goals, in addition to asking important questions about their qualifications and services.

Professionals Who Can Diagnose ADHD

Fortunately, several types of healthcare professionals candiagnose ADHD. This gives us a variety of individuals to reach out to if this condition is a concern.

Physicians

All the physicians on this list have either a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree, meaning that they have completed medical school.

Psychologists

While they have a doctorate degree and are addressed as “doctor,” psychologists are not doctors of medicine. Instead, this type of professional has an advanced degree in psychology, such as Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD).

Regardless, a psychologist is able to diagnose ADHD. Some specialize in working with specific age groups, such as child psychologists. Other psychologists may work primarily withadults with ADHD.

Nurse Practitioners

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses who’ve earned a master’s or doctoral degree, enabling them to provide primary or specialty patient care. They often work independently, but consult with physicians when needed.NPs with a specialty in psychiatry can evaluate and diagnose ADHD and other mental health conditions in children and adults.

Counselors

The term “counselor” covers a broad spectrum of professionals with specialized training in particular types of therapy. Counselors able to assess and diagnose ADHD include:

If a counselor lacks expertise in ADHD, they may refer a patient to a psychologist or psychiatrist for a more in-depth evaluation.

The Difference Between Counselors and Psychologists

Who Can Prescribe ADHD Medicine?

Sixty-two percent of children with ADHD are treated with some type of medication.Medications are also commonly prescribed for adults with ADHD. This makes it important to know how to getADHD medicationif needed.

Only certain medical professionals can prescribe medicines for the treatment of ADHD. They include physicians (psychiatrists, pediatricians, PCPs, and neurologists) and nurse practitioners. Physician assistants (PAs) can also prescribe medication for ADHD if they’re working under the supervision of a physician.

Clinical Psychologist Job and Training Overview

Professionals Who Can Help Treat ADHD

The same healthcare professionals who can diagnose ADHD are also able to help treat it. ADHD treatment typically involves medication, therapy, or a combination of the two.

There are a few additional health professionals who can aid in the treatment of ADHD via various forms of support and assistance. Among them are:

How to Find the Right ADHD Specialist

Before looking for a healthcare professional who can diagnose ADHD, it’s helpful to consider the type of treatment or support that is desired. This can help determine what type of specialist to approach.

A good place to start is talking with a primary care physician. They may be able to do the diagnosis themselves. If not, they can provide a referral to a health professional in the area who specializes in ADHD while also supplying other helpful resources.

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) offers adirectory of professionalswho specialize in or have experience with ADHD.

When meeting with an ADHD specialist, questions to ask include:

Still unsure who to go to for concerns about ADHD? Choose a healthcare professional you feel comfortable with. Having a good relationship with them is beneficial for managing andliving well with ADHD.

Additional Factors to Consider

While it would be convenient to have one professional who meets all of your ADHD treatment needs, more often, people require a small team of professionals. Each one comes with a unique set of knowledge and skills for managing ADHD.

It is also important to know when to look for a different professional if your current one is not meeting your needs. If you feel like your doctor doesn’t listen to your concerns about your ADHD traits, medications, or side effects, seek a second opinion.

You may also want to look for another professional if you aren’t provided enough information about your treatment options or the potentialside effects of different ADHD medications.

Living well with ADHD often involves finding coping strategies and support to help manage traits that might cause disruptions. If your care provider is not supportive and affirming of ADHD’s neurodivergent characteristics, consider looking for a professional who better understands this neurotype.

11 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fairbank R.An ADHD diagnosis in adulthood comes with challenges and benefits. American Psychological Association.Rivas-Vazquez RA, Diaz SG, Visser MM, Rivas-Vazquez AA.Adult ADHD: Underdiagnosis of a treatable condition.J Health Serv Psychol. 2023;49(1):11-19. doi:10.1007/s42843-023-00077-wKatzman MA, Bilkey TS, Chokka PR, Fallu A, Klassen LJ.Adult ADHD and comorbid disorders: clinical implications of a dimensional approach.BMC Psychiatry. 2017;17:302. doi:10.11866/s12888-017-1463-3Attention Deficit Disorder Association.How to get diagnosed with ADHD: 7 steps for adults to get an accurate evaluation.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.What nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners do.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Data and statistics.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.What psychologists do.Nazarova VA, Sokolov AV, Chubarev VN, Tarasov VV, Schiöth HB.Treatment of ADHD: Drugs, psychological therapies, devices, complementary and alternative methods as well as trends in clinical trials.Front Pharmacol. 2022;13:1066988. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1066988Adamou M, Asherson P, Arif M, et al.Recommendations for occupational therapy interventions for adults with ADHD: a concensus statement from the UK adult ADHD network.BMC Psychiatry. 2021;21:72. doi:10.1186/s12888-021-03070-zRedmond SM.Language impairment in the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder context.J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2016;59(1):133-142. doi:10.1044/2015_JSLHR-L-15-0038Pinto S, Correia-de-Sá T, Sampaio-Maia B, Vasconcelos C, Moreira P, Ferreira-Gomes J.Eating patterns and dietary interventions in ADHD: A narrative review.Nutrients. 2022;14(20):4332. doi:10.3390/nu14204332

11 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fairbank R.An ADHD diagnosis in adulthood comes with challenges and benefits. American Psychological Association.Rivas-Vazquez RA, Diaz SG, Visser MM, Rivas-Vazquez AA.Adult ADHD: Underdiagnosis of a treatable condition.J Health Serv Psychol. 2023;49(1):11-19. doi:10.1007/s42843-023-00077-wKatzman MA, Bilkey TS, Chokka PR, Fallu A, Klassen LJ.Adult ADHD and comorbid disorders: clinical implications of a dimensional approach.BMC Psychiatry. 2017;17:302. doi:10.11866/s12888-017-1463-3Attention Deficit Disorder Association.How to get diagnosed with ADHD: 7 steps for adults to get an accurate evaluation.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.What nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners do.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Data and statistics.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.What psychologists do.Nazarova VA, Sokolov AV, Chubarev VN, Tarasov VV, Schiöth HB.Treatment of ADHD: Drugs, psychological therapies, devices, complementary and alternative methods as well as trends in clinical trials.Front Pharmacol. 2022;13:1066988. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1066988Adamou M, Asherson P, Arif M, et al.Recommendations for occupational therapy interventions for adults with ADHD: a concensus statement from the UK adult ADHD network.BMC Psychiatry. 2021;21:72. doi:10.1186/s12888-021-03070-zRedmond SM.Language impairment in the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder context.J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2016;59(1):133-142. doi:10.1044/2015_JSLHR-L-15-0038Pinto S, Correia-de-Sá T, Sampaio-Maia B, Vasconcelos C, Moreira P, Ferreira-Gomes J.Eating patterns and dietary interventions in ADHD: A narrative review.Nutrients. 2022;14(20):4332. doi:10.3390/nu14204332

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Fairbank R.An ADHD diagnosis in adulthood comes with challenges and benefits. American Psychological Association.Rivas-Vazquez RA, Diaz SG, Visser MM, Rivas-Vazquez AA.Adult ADHD: Underdiagnosis of a treatable condition.J Health Serv Psychol. 2023;49(1):11-19. doi:10.1007/s42843-023-00077-wKatzman MA, Bilkey TS, Chokka PR, Fallu A, Klassen LJ.Adult ADHD and comorbid disorders: clinical implications of a dimensional approach.BMC Psychiatry. 2017;17:302. doi:10.11866/s12888-017-1463-3Attention Deficit Disorder Association.How to get diagnosed with ADHD: 7 steps for adults to get an accurate evaluation.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.What nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners do.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Data and statistics.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.What psychologists do.Nazarova VA, Sokolov AV, Chubarev VN, Tarasov VV, Schiöth HB.Treatment of ADHD: Drugs, psychological therapies, devices, complementary and alternative methods as well as trends in clinical trials.Front Pharmacol. 2022;13:1066988. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1066988Adamou M, Asherson P, Arif M, et al.Recommendations for occupational therapy interventions for adults with ADHD: a concensus statement from the UK adult ADHD network.BMC Psychiatry. 2021;21:72. doi:10.1186/s12888-021-03070-zRedmond SM.Language impairment in the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder context.J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2016;59(1):133-142. doi:10.1044/2015_JSLHR-L-15-0038Pinto S, Correia-de-Sá T, Sampaio-Maia B, Vasconcelos C, Moreira P, Ferreira-Gomes J.Eating patterns and dietary interventions in ADHD: A narrative review.Nutrients. 2022;14(20):4332. doi:10.3390/nu14204332

Fairbank R.An ADHD diagnosis in adulthood comes with challenges and benefits. American Psychological Association.

Rivas-Vazquez RA, Diaz SG, Visser MM, Rivas-Vazquez AA.Adult ADHD: Underdiagnosis of a treatable condition.J Health Serv Psychol. 2023;49(1):11-19. doi:10.1007/s42843-023-00077-w

Katzman MA, Bilkey TS, Chokka PR, Fallu A, Klassen LJ.Adult ADHD and comorbid disorders: clinical implications of a dimensional approach.BMC Psychiatry. 2017;17:302. doi:10.11866/s12888-017-1463-3

Attention Deficit Disorder Association.How to get diagnosed with ADHD: 7 steps for adults to get an accurate evaluation.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.What nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners do.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Data and statistics.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.What psychologists do.

Nazarova VA, Sokolov AV, Chubarev VN, Tarasov VV, Schiöth HB.Treatment of ADHD: Drugs, psychological therapies, devices, complementary and alternative methods as well as trends in clinical trials.Front Pharmacol. 2022;13:1066988. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1066988

Adamou M, Asherson P, Arif M, et al.Recommendations for occupational therapy interventions for adults with ADHD: a concensus statement from the UK adult ADHD network.BMC Psychiatry. 2021;21:72. doi:10.1186/s12888-021-03070-z

Redmond SM.Language impairment in the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder context.J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2016;59(1):133-142. doi:10.1044/2015_JSLHR-L-15-0038

Pinto S, Correia-de-Sá T, Sampaio-Maia B, Vasconcelos C, Moreira P, Ferreira-Gomes J.Eating patterns and dietary interventions in ADHD: A narrative review.Nutrients. 2022;14(20):4332. doi:10.3390/nu14204332

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