ADD/ADHD DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA

1. ADD/ADHD, predominantly Inattentive type

• Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes
• Has difficulty sustaining attention
• Does not appear to listen
• Struggles to follow through on instructions
• Has difficulty with organization
• Avoids or dislikes tasks requiring sustained mental effort
• Is easily distracted
• Is forgetful in daily activities

2. ADD/ADHD, predominantly Hyperactive-impulsive type

• Fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in chair
• Has difficulty remaining seated
• Runs about or climbs excessively
• Difficulty engaging in activities quietly
• Acts as if driven by a motor
• Talks excessively
• Blurts out answers before questions have been completed
• Difficulty waiting or taking turns
• Interrupts or intrudes upon others

3. ADD/ADHD, combined type

• Individual meets both sets of Inattentive and Hyperactive-impulsive criteria

The following four sub-types of ADD/ADHD were identified by Daniel Amen, M.D. Each include the core symptoms listed above, plus additional symptoms as noted:

4. Overfocused sub-type

• Worries excessively or senselessly
• Oppositional and argumentative
• Strong tendency to get locked into negative thoughts
• Tendency toward compulsive behaviors
• Tendency to hold grudges
• Trouble shifting attention from subject to subject
• Difficulties seeing options in situations
• Tendency to hold on to his or her own opinion and not listen to others
• Tendency to get locked into course of action, whether good or bad
• Needs to have things done a certain way
• Is criticized by others for worrying too much

5. Temporal Lobe sub-type

• Periods of quick temper or rages with little provocation
• Misinterprets comments as negative when they are not
• Tendency to become increasingly irritable, explode, then recede; often tired after a rage
• Periods of spaciness or confusion
• Periods of panic and/or fear for no specific reason
• Imagines visual changes, such as seeing shadows or objects changing shape
• Has a history of head injury, or family history of violence or explosiveness
• Periods of forgetfulness or memory problems
• Has a short fuse or periods of extreme irritability

6. Limbic sub-type

• Moodiness
• Negativity
• Low energy
• Frequent irritability
• Tendency to be socially isolated
• Frequent feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or excessive guilt
• Lowered interest in things that are considered fun
• Sleep changes (too much or too little)
• Chronic low self-esteem

7. Ring of Fire sub-type

• Angry or aggressive
• Sensitive to noise, light, clothes, or touch
• Frequent or cyclic mood changes
• Inflexible or rigid in thinking
• Insists on having his or her own way
• Periods of mean, nasty, or insensitive behavior
• Periods of excessive talkativeness
• Periods of excessive impulsivity
• Exhibits unpredictable behavior
• Displays grandiose or "larger than life" thinking
• Talks fast
• Has the sensation that thoughts go fast
• Appears anxious or fearful

Types 1, 2, and 3 are summaries taken from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Vol 4. Types 4, 5, 6, and 7 are taken from Healing ADD, Daniel Amen, 2001