Differential Diagnosis
” Diagnosis drives treatment”. It is imperative that a correct diagnosis be made before a doctor prescribes a treatment. One of the difficulties in diagnosing ADD/ADHD is that there are numerous conditions that can cause ADD/ADHD symptoms. Below is a partial list of some of these conditions:
- hyperthyroidism
- pin worms
- sleep disorder
- ear infections
- hearing disorder
- mild seizures
- malnutrition
- nutritional deficiencies
- substance abuse
- some prescription drugs (eg. Dimetapp, Dilantin)
- Tourettes syndrome
- lead poisoning
- hypoglycemia
- season affective disorder (SAD)
- depression
- anxiety problems
- head injury
- and many more
Doctors must consider differential diagnoses before jumping to the conclusion that the child has ADD/ADHD.