Accelerated Summer Treatment Program for ADHD and Autism, with remote treatment options for CA patients. To learn more,
click here >>Accelerated Summer Treatment Program for ADHD and Autism, with remote treatment options for CA patients. To learn more,
click here >>ADHD symptoms can sometimes mimic or reflect symptoms of other disorders. How do you know if you are receiving the proper diagnosis? And what should you do if you have been misdiagnosed?
ADHD misdiagnosis happens when an individual’s condition or symptoms are incorrectly attributed to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or, conversely, when ADHD is mistaken for another disorder.
There are several reasons why misdiagnosis can occur, including symptoms that overlap with other disorders, variability in symptom presentation, limited or inadequate evaluations, misinterpretation of symptoms, and bias in diagnosis.
ADHD cannot be identified with lab tests or blood work. Instead, a proper diagnosis relies on completing a comprehensive assessment with various diagnostic elements. When ADHD is misdiagnosed, a patient could be administered an inappropriate treatment, or not be treated for the appropriate disorder.
If you or a family member are struggling with symptoms that may be ADHD, consult a trained medical professional with expertise in ADHD diagnosis and treatment.
At the Drake Institute, we use advanced treatment technologies to diagnose and treat patients with ADHD, including qEEG brain mapping, and brain map-guided neurofeedback and neurostimulation. Our treatment protocols have helped thousands of patients reduce or resolve symptoms and lead better lives.
For more information or to schedule a free consultation, contact The Drake institute today at 800-700-4233 or fill out the consultation form.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how the brain regulates attention, impulse control, and activity levels. The dysregulation and accompanying symptoms can impact behavior, as well as academic and social functioning. New research showed that the life expectancy of adults with ADHD is 7 years shorter than non-ADHD individuals.
There is currently no confirmed single cause of ADHD, but experts believe it is likely a combination of genetic, neurological, and environmental factors.
ADHD is typically diagnosed in childhood and can persist into adulthood, but some people may not be properly diagnosed until they are teens or even adults. ADHD is characterized by the following symptoms:
It is important to know that ADHD symptoms may vary from one patient to another, and that the different ADHD subtypes may include different symptoms of varying levels of intensity.
ADHD misdiagnosis can occur for many reasons, including symptoms overlapping with other disorders, a clinician not obtaining a thorough comprehensive patient history, an insufficient evaluation, or a clinician not aware of other disorders that can mimic ADHD symptoms (like auditory processing disorders or anxiety disorders). Diagnosis can be quite complicated because these disorders can run together.
Here is a closer look at what may cause ADHD to be misdiagnosed.
People want answers quickly – especially if behavioral issues and other symptoms are increasingly impacting the ability to function during normal daily activities. If symptoms point to ADHD, it’s easy to assume that is the culprit.
Some medical settings may move quickly through assessment processes and offer premature ADHD diagnoses, relying on the conditions’ well-known status. However, other possible causes and contributing factors can be overlooked in these rushed evaluations. An inability to focus could also be caused by anxiety, depression, or a language processing problem.
Normal behavior is sometimes misinterpreted as pathological and attributed to conditions like ADHD. Energy levels and attention spans of children and teens vary widely, and in some cases, age-appropriate behaviors like fidgeting or inability to focus, may be mistakenly labeled as ADHD. To avoid misdiagnosis, evaluations of behavioral concerns should always consider contextual factors like developmental stages or environmental influences.
Media coverage and social media “armchair doctors” have increased awareness about ADHD, but they also contribute to misunderstandings and uninformed self-diagnoses. Today’s cultural influence promotes overdiagnosis by normalizing or exaggerating ADHD-like behaviors, and misleads people to believe a diagnosis is as simple as watching a Tik Tok doc. It is important to seek a clinical evaluation with a skilled licensed professional who has a comprehensive understanding of attentional and mood disorders and clinical experience with diagnosing them.
While overdiagnosis of ADHD is common, underdiagnosis is equally concerning, as it leaves patients without support and effective treatment.
ADHD presents differently in boys and girls, with girls’ quiet inattentiveness being less obvious than the hyperactivity and disruptive behavior often associated with boys. With exceptions, girls typically suffer primarily with just the inattentive symptoms, and they’re not disruptive in the classroom. In a sense, they can fly under the radar until they begin to significantly struggle academically, which may not occur until Middle School. Because their subtler symptoms may be overlooked, girls with ADHD are more often underdiagnosed and suffer from delayed treatment or intervention.
Similarly, people in underserved communities may have limited access to medical professionals or face cost and geographical challenges that make it difficult to get proper evaluations and comprehensive assessments to diagnose ADHD and receive treatment.
Another reason for underdiagnosis is the cultural stigma that persists. ADHD may go untreated if the stigma surrounding mental health or behavioral issues discourages people from seeking help.
ADHD has symptoms that present similarly to other disorders, which can lead to misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment. Depression, anxiety, autism, and some learning disabilities share overlapping symptoms with ADHD. As an example, higher functioning autistic children sometimes get diagnosed with ADHD before they’re diagnosed with autism.
Like other disorders, experiences related to stress and traumatic events can also lead to symptoms that mimic ADHD. Without a full understanding of the patient’s history and development of symptoms a proper diagnosis is less likely.
Conditions that are most commonly misdiagnosed as ADHD include anxiety, depression, and learning disabilities as they can present with symptoms like restlessness, trouble concentrating, or not completing tasks.
Alternatively, ADHD is sometimes misdiagnosed as autism, oppositional defiant disorder, or sensory processing disorder, as they may also present with hyperactivity and social challenges. Diagnosis is complex because ADHD can also lead to oppositional defiant disorder where both disorders coexist.
Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation, trauma, environmental stress, bipolar disorder, auditory processing problems, and obsessive-compulsive disorder may share some symptoms with ADHD. Because of this, hyperactivity, impulsiveness, inattention and other common ADHD symptoms should not automatically result in an ADHD diagnosis.
If you or someone you know is suffering from symptoms that may be associated with ADHD, it is important to seek help from a qualified clinical professional for a comprehensive evaluation.
ADHD misdiagnosis affects individuals of all ages and leads to ineffective and at-times inappropriate treatment. Knowing its prevalence can help encourage patients to seek in-depth assessments to ensure they are receiving the appropriate treatment for their symptoms.
As you can see from above, it can be easy for ADHD to be overdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, with some studies estimating that 20% of childhood cases may in fact be misdiagnosed.
ADHD in adults can also be misdiagnosed due to the prevalence of symptoms that overlap with similar conditions like anxiety or depression. Again, diagnosis is complicated because many adults with ADHD also suffer with anxiety and depression so seeking help from an experienced clinical professional is necessary.
If symptoms get worse despite intervention, or if new challenges or symptoms arise, that may be a sign of misdiagnosis or incomplete diagnosis. It’s possible you might have a secondary disorder along with ADHD that was missed on the initial diagnosis. In this case, we suggest getting further assessment.
Over the last 40 years, the Drake Institute has clinically pioneered the use of advanced treatment technologies to treat ADHD and other brain-based medical disorders. Using a combination of brain map-guided neurofeedback and sometimes neurostimulation, we develop customized treatment protocols to address each patient's needs.
Drugs are never administered during ADHD treatment at Drake and we do not perform invasive procedures. Instead, the patient improves their own brain function, guided by visual and auditory feedback.
Individualized treatment plans are developed by first completing a qEEG brain map analysis for each patient. This non-invasive test uses sensors placed on the scalp to identify specific regions or networks of the brain that are dysregulated and linked to symptoms.
During neurofeedback sessions, sensors are again placed on the scalp to record and display instantaneous brainwave activity in real-time. The activity is visually displayed on a computer screen with simultaneous auditory feedback.
During neurofeedback therapy, the patient can see how their brain is working and learn to improve their brainwave activity by guiding it toward healthier, more functional brainwave patterns.
As an adjunct to neurofeedback, we sometimes use neurostimulation guided by qEEG brain map findings to gently stimulate the brain into healthier functional patterns. It is our experience that some patients benefit even more from neurofeedback when combined with neurostimulation. We find this to be particularly helpful for lower-functioning children on the Autism Spectrum.
For the last forty years, the Drake Institute has helped thousands of patients with ADHD and other brain-based disorders such as autism, PTSD, anxiety, panic disorder, and depression. Our patients reduce or resolve their symptoms and achieve a better quality of life. Call us at 1-800-700-4233 or fill out the free consultation form to get more information or to schedule a free consultation.
If you or a family member need help, please fill out our confidential online form
Interview with Dr. David Velkoff
Seth's Story
Interview with Dr. David Velkoff
Spanish News Feature
“David F. Velkoff, M.D., our Medical Director and co-founder, supervises all evaluation procedures and treatment programs. He is recognized as a physician pioneer in using biofeedback, qEEG brain mapping, neurofeedback, and neuromodulation in the treatment of ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and stress related illnesses including anxiety, depression, insomnia, and high blood pressure. Dr. David Velkoff earned his Master’s degree in Psychology from the California State University at Los Angeles in 1975, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta in 1976. This was followed by Dr. Velkoff completing his internship in Obstetrics and Gynecology with an elective in Neurology at the University of California Medical Center in Irvine. He then shifted his specialty to Neurophysical Medicine and received his initial training in biofeedback/neurofeedback in Neurophysical Medicine from the leading doctors in the world in biofeedback at the renown Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas. In 1980, he co-founded the Drake Institute of Neurophysical Medicine. Seeking to better understand the link between illness and the mind, Dr. Velkoff served as the clinical director of an international research study on psychoneuroimmunology with the UCLA School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and the Pasteur Institute in Paris. This was a follow-up study to an earlier clinical collaborative effort with UCLA School of Medicine demonstrating how the Drake Institute's stress treatment resulted in improved immune functioning of natural killer cell activity. Dr. Velkoff served as one of the founding associate editors of the scientific publication, Journal of Neurotherapy. He has been an invited guest lecturer at Los Angeles Children's Hospital, UCLA, Cedars Sinai Medical Center-Thalians Mental Health Center, St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California, and CHADD. He has been a medical consultant in Neurophysical Medicine to CNN, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, Univision, and PBS.”
