ADHD - Why consult

A child is generally brought in to consult with a physician because he or she is manifesting signs of attention deficit symptoms, hyperactivity or impulsiveness. Learning and behavioral problems that can be associated with ADHD often sound off an alarm. A more inattentive child, without restlessness movements, will often consult later in his life because his symptoms were less "visible".

Certain adults with ADHD will consult a physician because they believe they fit the profile of the disorder that they read somewhere. Others who have a family member (often a child) for whom recognition and treatment of ADHD has proved beneficial will seek to determine whether the symptoms that they themselves present can be explained by ADHD and whether available treatment exists.

More than half of the adults with ADHD will also develop an associated psychiatric problem like a mood or anxiety disorder, pathological personality traits and drug addiction. This other element is often what drives an individual to consult a physician.