ADHD Treatment

Evergreen Adult Medicine

Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) Symptom Checklist Instructions

The questions are designed to stimulate dialogue between you and your patients and to help confirm if they may be suffering from the symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Description: The Symptom Checklist is an instrument consisting of the eighteen DSM-IV-TR criteria. Six of the eighteen questions were found to be the most predictive of symptoms consistent with ADHD. These six questions are the basis for the ASRS v1.1 Screener and are also Part A of the Symptom Checklist. Part B of the Symptom Checklist contains the remaining twelve questions.

Instructions:

Symptoms

1. Ask the patient to complete both Part A and Part B of the Symptom Checklist by selecting the option that most closely represents the frequency of occurrence of each of the symptoms.
2. Score Part A. If four or more marks were selected within Part A, then the patient has symptoms highly consistent with ADHD in adults and further investigation is warranted.
3. The frequency scores on Part B provide additional cues and can serve as further probes into the patient's symptoms. Pay particular attention to the selected options. The frequency-based response is more sensitive to certain questions. No total score or diagnostic likelihood is utilized for the twelve questions. It has been found that the six questions in Part A are the most predictive of the disorder and are best for use as a screening instrument.

Impairments

1. Review the entire Symptom Checklist with your patients and evaluate the level of impairment associated with the symptom.
2. Consider work/school, social, and family settings.
3. Symptom frequency is often associated with symptom severity; therefore, the Symptom Checklist may also aid in the assessment of impairments. If your patients have frequent symptoms, you may want to ask them to describe how these problems have affected their ability to work, take care of things at home, or get along with other people, such as their spouse/significant other.

History

1. Assess the presence of these symptoms or similar symptoms in childhood. Adults who have ADHD need not have been formally diagnosed in childhood. In evaluating a patient's history, look for evidence of early-appearing and long-standing problems with attention or self-control. Some significant symptoms should have been present in childhood, but full symptomology is not necessary.