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REVIEW article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Psychopathology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1466088

Evaluating Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A review of current methods and issues

Provisionally accepted
Hande Musullulu Hande Musullulu *
  • University of the Middle Atlantic, Las Palmas, Spain

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common and complex neurodevelopmental disorder that affects individuals across the lifespan. This review provides an overview of the DSM diagnostic criteria for ADHD and discusses recommended considerations for the diagnosis of ADHD in children, adolescents, and adults. Its complexity requires careful consideration in the diagnostic process due to heterogeneity in clinical presentation and symptom overlap with other conditions. Commonly used assessment tools, including clinical interviews, rating scales and continuous performance tasks are reviewed with a focus on their psychometric qualities. Limitations of current diagnostic techniques, including issues related to gender bias, comorbidities and the importance of differential diagnosis is also discussed. Improvements in the consistency and accuracy of ADHD diagnosis may be achieved by addressing these factors and evaluating the practical application of diagnostic tools.

    Keywords: ADHD, diagnosis, Evaluation tools, assessment, rating scales

    Received: 17 Jul 2024; Accepted: 03 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Musullulu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hande Musullulu, University of the Middle Atlantic, Las Palmas, Spain

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.