Filing For Social Security Disability With An Adhd Diagnosis
The fact that ADHD always begins in early childhood is important because while ADHD is listed by the Social Security Administration under Section 112.11 of the Blue Book, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the listing applies to children. There is no similar section for adults. If you are able to prove that you have had ADHD since childhood, and if you can show that this condition has impaired your ability to do schoolwork as a child and to be gainfully employed as an adult, your condition may be considered severe enough to get disability benefits.
An ADHD diagnosis, in and of itself, is not enough to qualify for disability benefits. As a child, you must have had measurable functional impairments and as an adult, you must have measurable functional impairments that keep you from working. You must also meet the requirements of both Paragraph A and Paragraph B below.
Paragraph A
You must possess acceptable medical documentation which finds that you have all three of the following symptoms:
The American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders 5th Edition
The DSM-5TM medical classification system for ADHD is published by the American Psychiatric Association, and is used in the US and the rest of the world. This classification system defines ADHD as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.7 The DSM-5TM includes ADHD among neurodevelopmental disorders, which comprise conditions associated with factors affecting brain development, and gives examples of how ADHD symptoms are expressed across the lifespan. The DSM-5TM states that at least five symptoms must be present prior to age 12 years, and that there should be clear evidence that symptoms interfere with or reduce the level of social, academic and occupational functioning for a diagnosis of ADHD.5
The DSM-5TM replaced the previous version in 2013.7,8 The NICE guidelines1 and other clinical guidelines2-5 refer to the DSM-5TM however, some clinical trials initiated before the new edition also refer to the DSM-IV.
What Can I Do About It
ADHD is usually treated with a combination of medication, counselling and self-care.
- MedicationAdults are often treated with the same kind of stimulant and non-stimulant ADHD medication as children. There is a non-stimulant ADHD medication option, which is a type of antidepressant. Other types of antidepressants may also be particularly helpful for adults who have depression or an anxiety disorder in addition to ADHD.
- Its important to remember that different medications may not be a good option for all people. Its important to tell your doctor about your health conditions and health conditions in your family. For example, stimulant medications may not be a good option for people with heart, mood, sleep, anxiety or substance use problems.
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Adhd And Cognitive Disability
Another type of disability that is commonly associated with ADHD is known as a cognitive disability. Cognitive disabilities are defined as a limiting condition where an individual has slower mental aptitude and functioning. People with cognitive disabilities may have difficulty learning and take longer to develop than their normal counterparts. These individuals may require assistance to function in society for the entirety of their lives. So, is ADHD a cognitive disability? Currently, many features of ADHD echo mild cognitive impairment. However, the answer to this question depends on the medical practitioner who diagnoses these conditions. Some medical professionals think that yes, ADHD can be considered a cognitive disability, while others distinguish the two conditions as separate.
What Is A Secondary Mental Health Condition
Secondary mental health conditions can arise from any primary health condition, although this is often misunderstood with ADHD. For example, someone who breaks their legs in an accident may become depressed because they are suddenly unable to walk or live the life they want. They undergo physical therapy and recovery and, when they are able to walk again, their depression lifts. In this case, the primary condition is a leg injury, and the ‘secondary’ condition is depression arising from the impact of the primary condition. In the same way, someone who is struggling with executive dysfunction, impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattention may be impaired and unable to live the life they want, and experience a secondary mental health issue like depression.
When they are given an ADHD diagnosis and education about their condition, alongside coping strategies, support, medication options and therapy options, core issues of ADHD can reduce. The person will be empowered to live the life they want and no longer experience their secondary mental health issues.
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Is Adhd/add A Serious Mental Illness
Technically, yes . ADHD is a mental illness. But its a complex topic that can leave some parents confused or upset. Mental illness is a very broad term. It refers to any type of condition that affects a persons behavior, mood, or thinking. That can cover everything from mild anxiety to severe depression or bipolar disorder.
Is ADHD a real disorder?
ADHD is a very real disorder. It is a condition that makes it hard for people to do things that might be easy for others, like paying attention, following rules, or sitting still.
Is ADHD physical or mental disability?
Legally, disability means a physical or mental condition that significantly limits a major life activity in this case, work. ADHD is a developmental impairment of the brains self-management system its executive functions that impacts about 9 percent of children and almost 5 percent of adults.
Is ADHD a cognitive or psychological disorder?
Technically, one can say that ADHD is both, cognitive and psychological. ADHD is a psychological disorder, psychological meaning it affects or arises in the mind. The disturbance is in the mind, why it is in part psychological. ADHD is also cognitive.
Influence Of Processing Load
A “hugely influential” theory regarding selective attention is the , which states that there are two mechanisms that affect attention: cognitive and perceptual. The perceptual considers the subject’s ability to perceive or ignore stimuli, both task-related and non task-related. Studies show that if there are many stimuli present , it is much easier to ignore the non-task related stimuli, but if there are few stimuli the mind will perceive the irrelevant stimuli as well as the relevant. The cognitive refers to the actual processing of the stimuli. Studies regarding this showed that the ability to process stimuli decreased with age, meaning that younger people were able to perceive more stimuli and fully process them, but were likely to process both relevant and irrelevant information, while older people could process fewer stimuli, but usually processed only relevant information.
Some people can process multiple stimuli, e.g. trained Morse code operators have been able to copy 100% of a message while carrying on a meaningful conversation. This relies on the reflexive response due to “overlearning” the skill of morse code reception/detection/transcription so that it is an autonomous function requiring no specific attention to perform. This overtraining of the brain comes as the “practice of a skill 100% accuracy,” allowing the activity to become autonomic, while your mind has room to process other actions simultaneously.
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What Strategies Can Help An Adult With Adhd Succeed In The Workplace
If you struggle at your job, it may be because your job requires strong organization, focus and decision-making skillsthe very skills that people with ADHD struggle with. Your healthcare provider can help. Ask your provider for referral to other professionals, such as a professional ADHD Coach, who can offer the following tactics that can help you thrive at your job:
- Time-management training to help get to work on time, handle tasks and attend meetings at designated times and meet deadlines.
- Relaxation and stress management training to help cope with new and difficult situations and people.
- Occupational therapy to teach strategies for organizing home and work activities.
- Job coaching or mentoring to support better working relationships and improve on-the-job performance.
What questions should I ask my childs healthcare provider about ADHD?
- Does my child have a learning disability in addition to ADHD?
- What type of ADHD does my child have?
- Does my child have a psychiatric illness in addition to ADHD?
- How do I explain to my child what ADHD is?
- Whats the best medicine for my child?
- How do I improve my childs self-esteem and self-efficacy?
- How do I talk to my childs teachers about his/her ADHD?
- How do I judge if a medication is worth the side effects that come with it?
- What are the side effects of the prescribed medications?
- What are my childs strengths? What are my childs weaknesses?
What questions should I ask my healthcare provider about ADHD?
Who Is Affected By Attention
Estimates suggest that about 4% to 12% of children have ADHD. Boys are 2 to 3 times more likely to have ADHD of the hyperactive or combined type than girls.
Many parents of children with ADHD experienced symptoms of ADHD when they were younger. ADHD is commonly found in brothers and sisters within the same family. Most families seek help when their child’s symptoms begin to interfere with learning and adjustment to the expectations of school and age-appropriate activities.
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Do Things Which Help You
These are things which have been helpful for people with ADHD. These will not work for everyone and there may be other things which you have discovered for yourself.
- You may find it hard to organise things so that you get things done you really need to.
- Make lists, keep diaries, stick up reminders, and set aside some time to plan what you need to do.
- Find ways of letting off steam, like exercise, dance, sport
- Find ways of relaxing like music or relaxation techniques.
- Set yourself realistic goals.
- Remind yourself about the things you can do well.
- Avoid things that make life more difficult. These could be arguments with other people, using drugs and alcohol, and pressure at work.
- Dont spend time with people who encourage you to drink too much or use drugs, or who create stressful situations.
Changes In The Definition Of Adhd In Dsm
While there were earlier descriptions of children with high levels of activity and impulsivity , what is now called Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder first appeared in the second edition of the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1968 . In DSM-II, the disorder was termed Hyperkinetic Reaction of Childhood, which as the name implies focused primarily on symptoms of excessive motor activity. With the publication of the DSM-III in 1980, the disorder was markedly re-conceptualized with a focus on problems with attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, and was renamed Attention Deficit Disorder . The term Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder was introduced in DSM-III-R , with the controversial elimination of ADD without Hyperactivity. With the publication of the DSM- IV , the term ADHD was retained along with the introduction of three specific subtypes , defined by the presence of excessive symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity.
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What Happens If Adhd Is Left Untreated
Symptoms will continue if ADHD is left untreated and people are left to manage them on their own. Children may struggle at school, home and in social situations, and adults may struggle with work, education, interactions with friends and family and more. Untreated ADHD makes life harder than it has to be.
Research And Data Collection
is information or evidence that is gathered from an environment or sample to be processed and interpreted to find and provide results for a particular study. data has an important role in the field of psychology, providing insight to be analyzed, shared, and stored for future reference.
Particularly, refers to the gathering of information from subjects in a sample by methods in order to attain a comprehensive examination of a situation or specific study from the individuals. The validity of the a responses of the subjects in the sample is important, as they provide the basis for which a conclusion can be drawn in that study.
In , careless responses are those that are defined to have not been entirely authentic or to be lacking in relevance to the topic being examined in the study. Also referred to as random response, this is an area of concern in research studies and data collection due to the possible impacts that error data could have on the significance conclusion to be drawn later. Attention and interest are both factors that have a possible influence on the validity of an individual’s responses. Careless data can lead to lower which will ultimately decrease the intensity of correlation, if one exists. A method known as data screening is recommended as a means of discerning between response data that is valid and that which is careless.
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Contemporary Definition And Research
Prior to the founding of as a scientific discipline, attention was studied in the field of . Thus, many of the discoveries in the field of attention were made by philosophers. Psychologist calls the father of modern psychology because, in his book De Anima et Vita , he was the first to recognize the importance of empirical investigation. In his work on memory, Vives found that the more closely one attends to stimuli, the better they will be retained.
By the 1990s, psychologists began using and later to image the brain while monitoring tasks involving attention. Considering this expensive equipment was generally only available in hospitals, psychologists sought cooperation with neurologists. Psychologist and neurologist pioneered brain imaging studies of selective attention. Their results soon sparked interest from the neuroscience community, which until then had simply been focused on monkey brains. With the development of these technological innovations, became interested in this type of research that combines sophisticated experimental paradigms from with these new brain imaging techniques. Although the older technique of had long been used to study the brain activity underlying selective attention by , the ability of the newer techniques to actually measure precisely localized activity inside the brain generated renewed interest by a wider community of researchers. A growing body of such research has identified a which appears to be responsible for control of attention.
How Is Adhd Diagnosed In Children Teens And Adults
To diagnose a child, the healthcare provider must perform three tasks. The healthcare provider must: 1) identify the presence of ADHD symptom criteria, 2) rule out alternative causes of symptoms, and 3) identify comorbid conditions .
But, the job is not yet done. Certain conditions must also be met. First, the symptom behaviors must be present in two or more settings such as at home and in school. Second, the symptoms must be impairing. Its not just that they occur as everyone engages in these behaviors sometimes. Third, symptom behaviors must have been present in childhood, typically before the age of 12 years. Last, the symptoms cannot be corollaries to another disorder that is not ADHD. For example, sometimes, when a person is depressed or anxious, inattentive behaviors may occur. The clinician will identify ADHD symptoms by asking you questions about your childs behavior s at home and school . Next, your provider will rule out other possible conditions that share some similar symptoms. These conditions include:
- Lead toxicity .
- Sleep problems.
A sudden life change may also result in behaviors that could be confused with ADHD).
Sometimes, an adult will recognize the behaviors of ADHD in himself or herself when a son or daughter is diagnosed. Other times, adults will seek professional help for themselves and find that their depression or anxiety is related to ADHD.
Keep in mind that symptoms can change over time and therefore so can the diagnosis of the type of ADHD.
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What Are The Risk Factors Of Adhd
ADHD is largely a hereditary condition. If one or both parents have been diagnosed with ADHD, their children are more likely to have it as well. Although the exact etiology of ADHD are ill-defined, healthcare providers report other associated risk factors:
- Biological: ADHD is associated with the way certain neurotransmitters work, especially dopamine and norepinephrine, and this difference causes changes in two different attentional networks of the brain the default network, associated with automatic attention and the task positive network, associated with directed or effortful attention.
- Environment: Exposure to toxins in the environment has been linked to ADHD in children.
- Prenatal substance exposure : Smoking and/or drug and alcohol use during pregnancy is associated with ADHD in children.
What Causes Attention
ADHD is one of the most researched areas in child and adolescent mental health. However, the precise cause of the disorder is still unknown. Available evidence suggests that ADHD is genetic. It is a brain-based biological disorder. Low levels of dopamine , which is a neurotransmitter , are found in children with ADHD. Brain imaging studies using PET scanners show that brain metabolism in children with ADHD is lower in the areas of the brain that control attention, social judgment, and movement.
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How Is Adhd Diagnosed
If you have these difficulties as a child or teenager, you would usually see either a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service or a Paediatric Service.
Specialist staff would see you for an assessment interview of 1-2 hours. They would need to talk to your family and teachers to understand your early childhood and any current problems.