3 important reasons for an ADHD test

There's no need to fool yourself: ADHD is a deviation from the "normal." But knowledge is a blessing if you strongly suspect it. Potential sufferers and their families benefit from an assessment for the following reasons.

Reason 1: There is no harsh judgment waiting – but reassuring clarity

If you want to have your child tested for ADHD , there is likely a history in which suffering and a lack of understanding played two major roles. The classic example in this context is the hyperactive child , often a boy who rubs people the wrong way, has trouble at school and overwhelms parents with their excessive impulsiveness. But there is also the dreamer child, statistically more often a girl, who is excluded and/or bullied because of their "oddity", and who, in the teachers' view, "should try harder and learn to integrate" - and who sometimes doesn't necessarily stand out because of bad grades, but rather because of their tendency to disappear from the here and now with the blink of an eye, seemingly effortlessly. They can only be "woken up" by shouting loudly or tugging at their sweater.

These children aren't primarily just "too loud, too active, or too dreamy and absentminded." That alone would hardly be a reason to test someone for ADHD. These children often miss out on a healthy social environment, risk failing at school —and may even feel misunderstood within their own families.

In short, these children often suffer greatly from their own inattention, hyperactivity, inner nervousness, and excessive impulsiveness, which they themselves cannot understand. Under these circumstances, they also find it difficult to develop their potential. Under constant stress, their bodies and minds are not focused on development—instead, they focus on their own survival, with reactions such as anger/fight, flight/withdrawal, or dissociation/freezing .

YES: The result of an ADHD test can be mild, moderate, or severe ADHD. But that's just the label. You already know the substance, the daily symptoms. And what follows after the diagnosis is individually tailored therapy that can make life more pleasant for your child (or you) – indeed, for the entire family. There are many ways to deal with ADHD – medication is just one of them – and it's not always necessary.

Reason 2: You have a child examined – and improve the chances of an adult

The prevalence of ADHD in the population is approximately 5 percent , or one in twenty. In prisons, however, 20 percent of inmates have ADHD, or one in five. This means that untreated ADHD significantly increases the likelihood of later committing a crime . You don't have to be a psychology professor to recognize that high, often barely controllable impulsiveness leads to "rash acts," that social exclusion/bullying can foster a darker view of one's fellow human beings—and that misfortunes like traffic accidents, nasty divorces, and job losses can destroy one's hope in life.

However, precisely the last three things mentioned are also more common in people with ADHD than in neurotypicals. Furthermore, people with ADHD are many times more likely to suffer from comorbidities such as addictions, depression, or anxiety disorders . These so-called comorbidities are either attempts at self-medication (in the case of addictions) or they are reactions of the body and mind to the excessive stress that untreated ADHD brings (depression, anxiety disorders, etc.).

The author of this article sometimes wishes his ADHD had been diagnosed earlier. He probably would have been spared a lot of suffering then. Now, that's not always a positive thing, because suffering can also strengthen one's character . However, statistics (thankfully, I'm not a part of them myself...) clearly show that completely undiagnosed and untreated ADHD leads more often to personal failure than anything else. And you want to spare your own child that, as much as possible.

Reason 3: Your child or you yourself get to know people who “belong to your tribe”

Do you know that feeling when you meet new people, as if you've been friends with them for months, if not years, and in many ways, you "understand them without words"? Yes, that can be the feeling of love or friendship. But it can also be the state you experience when you meet people who also have an ADHD diagnosis . "Oh, you're just as good at these things and less so?", "What, you've experienced THAT too?", "Really, you like that too?" are just some of the phrases you'll hear.

It all feels a bit like you've just "found the tribe" you've been searching for your whole life. It's called social integration, strong group dynamics, emotional resonance, etc. But for you, it will feel more like CONNECTION . Could it be that you've been longing for this for a long time? Is it possible that you've been avoiding various social activities for a while because you thought you wouldn't find THAT FEELING anywhere?

Well, that time is over once you've attended one or more meetings of an ADHD umbrella organization or counseling center like elpos or ADHS 20+ . After that, you'll probably have to pull out your agenda or phone to organize your next meetings. It's tedious administrative work, yes. But it's still better than being lonely in front of your smartphone, gaming screen , or TV.

Your child will likely feel the same way if they meet other ADHD children in a craft group, to make music, or at another creative afternoon. They may not yet be able to clearly express the unique feeling. However, it's quite possible that your son/daughter will quickly make a variety of new friends, while you have a wonderful conversation with another mother/father who, for once, doesn't show any incomprehension or offer "only well-intentioned" parenting advice. In other words, with a parent who knows exactly what joys and sorrows raising a child with ADHD entail.

All of this can be incredibly beneficial and help you grow personally.

And that is precisely why it is worth having an ADHD assessment if you have a strong suspicion – or if teachers/school psychologists have expressed this opinion.

You can hardly lose anything. But you can win a lot...

Reason 4: You didn’t expect this

Perhaps your child has ADHD, or perhaps you don't have it at all. Any serious examination , which generally consists of a multi-step process (interviews, questionnaires, observation, neurological tests, etc.), should only reveal what is actually there. And ADHD only affects one in 20 people. It's like blindly reaching into a box of 19 pencils and one crayon—and pulling out the crayon. Yes, the comparison is a bit biased. But the more people like you get to know, the more you'll see: He's got something...