ADHD Testing: Your guide to Diagnosis and Support

How online ADHD testing works

Positive Psychology Inc. can evaluate you for ADHD securely. You take various tests and submit them on the encrypted secure portal. You may answer questions the evaluator ask in the Telehealth session. We assess ADHD completely online, and no need to meet in person.

Benefits of online ADHD diagnosis and treatment

• Understand from where your difficulties originate. (How your brain differences are not working in the neurotypical world).
• Treat ADHD instead of treating other conditions such as depression or anxiety.  
• Educate the loved ones, teachers, and colleagues ways to support you.
• Ask school or work to accommodate you properly.
• Obtain medications.
• Our "treatment" is to assist ADHD people live authentically and freely. The difficulty neurodivergent people face in society is not due to your inherently wrong differences but rather due to society's failure to recognize and accommodate diverse ways our brains work. 

• Treatment is ineffective if other conditions (e.g.,depression or anxiety are treated but not the underlying ADHD (Ginsberg, et al, 2014).
• People diagnosed with ADHD report better quality of life, productivity, functioning, and self-esteem (Pawasker et al, 2020).
• The diagnosis of ADHD may allow individuals to access accommodations, medications, and disability benefits.  
• The loved ones, schools, and work places understand ADHDer's behavior is not due to "laziness" but ADHD, and implement accommodations.

According to Diagnostic and Statical Manual (DSM-5),the prominent feature of ADHD is inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity. The symptoms must have been present before age 12. Adults had a longer time than children to learn how to "mask" or conceal symptoms, and their symptoms can be misinterpreted as lack of tenacity or responsibility.

Positive Psychology Inc. provides online testing to diagnose ADHD online. 

1. Fill out the consent form

2. Make half of the payment or verify insurance coverage.

3. Meet with your test administrator on a secure platform and take various assessments.

4.Meet with your test administrator for a feedback session.

• The effective treatment of ADHD is the combination of psychosocial therapy and stimulant medications   (Kolar, 2008)

• Neurodiversity affirming therapy. Neurodiversity affirming therapy is honoring the different ways brain function, deconstructing internalized ablism, and eliciting accommodation.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for ADHD showed little effectiveness. Making people act as though they are neurotypical yields little benefits. 

• Long acting stimulant medications were more effective , researchers found (Kolar, 2008).  
• Examples of stimulant medications are OROS Methylphenidate HCL (Concerta), Long-acting MPH (Ritalin LA), Controlled release Methylphenidate (Biphentin), Mixed Amphetamine salts XR (Adderall XR), Atomoxetine (Strattera).

• We accept various insurances because we want evaluations to be accessible. Many plans of following insurances are accepted: Medicare, Tricare, United Health Care,  Blue Cross, MHN.
• Credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express etc. Any credit card)
• Debit card
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Check 

• Licensensed mental health professionals.  (We are all licensed doctoral level psychologists).
• Neurodiversity Affirming therapist (Not just using a word but reflecting it in our practice).
• The therapist themself is neurodivergent. Having the lived experience itself doesn't make a good assessor, but if they openly say they are neurodivergent, then they may be proud of their identity and thus neurodiversity affirming. 

How do you get diagnosed with ADHD in San Diego?

Positive Psychology Inc. can diagnose people with ADHD.

How much does it cost to get tested for ADHD in California?

We accept many plans of Medicare, Tricare, Triwest, MHN/Health Net, Optum, and Blue Cross. If you choose private pay, what you pay will count toward deductible. If you have PPO and have out of network benefits, then you may be able to pursue reimbersement when you submit the document called "superbill." We can provide superbill upon request.

How do I get an official ADHD test?

The psychologists at Positive Psychology Inc. provides comprehensive ADHD evaluation. The assessor employs various psychological evaluations, interview you throughly, and synthesize all the data to diagnose someone with ADHD. You will have a copy of psychological evaluation, which you can submit to school, work, or medical provider.

Ginsberg, Y., et al., Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders, Vol. 16, No. 3, 2014  https://www.psychiatrist.com/pcc/underdiagnosis-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/

retrieved on February 12, 2024.

 Pawaskar, M., et al., (2020)Journal of Attention Disorders, Vol. 24, No. 1, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1087054719841129 retrieved on February 12, 2024.