Can Betterhelp Diagnose ADHD? (A Complete Guide)
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Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
This article will look at whether or not service providers at Betterhelp can diagnose ADHD and if not what are the possible reasons behind not being able to do so. Furthermore, the article will highlight what ADHD is as well as introduce the audience to Betterhelp. The article will also highlight what services Betterhelp does offer.
Can Betterhelp Diagnose ADHD?
Betterhelp cannot diagnose ADHD in it’s clients because diagnosing patients for any disorder is not in its list of services that it claims to provide. In fact, the company clearly states in its terms and conditions that if a service provider gives a diagnosis to any client, the client should disregard it.
There are a number of reasons as to why Betterhelp prevents service providers on its platforms from diagnosing ADHD or any disorder in clients. Some reasons have been listed below:
- Insufficient Information: Therapists may make an incorrect diagnosis based on incomplete information they have from online only sessions
- The Impact Of A Wrong Diagnosis: Patients may be adversely affected because of a wrong diagnosis rather than ignorance. They may perceive all their actions in terms of the diagnosis – stress, extreme self observation and obsessive compulsive tendencies may arise due to fear
- A Diagnosis Means Medication: In countries where no prescription is required to obtain medicines, patients may take drugs for a disorder they do not have.
- Service Providers Are Not Always Qualified: All counselors are not therapists and are only qualified to advise but not diagnose.
- The Purpose: Betterhelp is a platform and not a service provider itself hence it only allows you to connect with service providers and not use the platform to have yourself diagnosed.
Let us take a look at what ADHD is. The article will also explain what Betterhelp is and what services it offers if not that of diagnosing clients.
What Is ADHD?
This is a mental disorder that stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and is commonly diagnosed in young children – more in boys rather than girls. It cannot be prevented or cured however with early and careful treatment the symptoms of this disorder can be better managed.
ADHD basically affects a child’s ability to focus on tasks and hences affects how they pay attention, sit still or play and interact with others. A child who is not able to pay much attention to a single task may be a candidate for this disorder and will be taken under observation.
When it affects children. The symptoms can fall into three types: Inattentive, Hyperactive – Impulsive or a combination of the aforementioned two categories. The symptoms are discussed in detail below.
Inattentive
This issue arises when a child is required to carry out certain activities or when they interact with adults or their peers. How they perform determines if they have the symptoms or not because if a child has ADHD they are not able to focus on the task and hence their performance lags.
Common symptoms here include:
- Being easily distracted
- Actively imagines or daydreams
- Does not seem to listen to others
- Makes careless mistakes often
- Forgetful about duties assigned to them
- Is not able to manage tasks
- Is not able to complete tasks
Hyperactive – Impulsive
In these symptoms, the main issue is the child is energetic – not in a good way but in an uncontrollable manner. They will not only not focus on what you say but be difficult to control – they do not want to sit still or engage in one task. They will seem like a tornado that is moving from one thing to the other.
Under this category of symptoms, it is not odd to see the following:
- Often squirms, fidgets or bounces
- Does Not stay seated
- Gregarious in nature
- Can’t wait for their turn
- Interrupts others – blurts out answers
- Cant play quietly
In the group of combined symptoms, the child experiences symptoms from both the inattentive and hyper impulsive categories.
Now that we have a basic idea of what ADHD is, let us take a look at what Betterhelp is and what services they do offer as a mental health service provider – considering they do not diagnose clients.
A Wrong Diagnosis – ADHD
What would happen if your online therapist diagnoses your child with ADHD? You would obviously seek medical attention for your child and start therapy. Medicines that may be used incluse stimulants and though they help they are controversial. Furthermore, you would spend much time and effort in getting your child the right type of therapy. Although this would mean you need to cut down time for a normal education your child would be getting the treatment they need – do they actually need it though?
It is obvious that if the diagnosis is wrong, a family would go under much stress for no reason and also engage many resources to ensure their child gets good treatment.
Why is it that a therapist is likely to make a mistake when trying to diagnose ADHD? Here are a few reasons:
- Physical Examination is required
- Neurological assessments must be conducted
- Battery tests need to be carried out
- Evaluation of intelligence, aptitude and attitude must be conducted
It is not easy diagnosing a child with ADHD – it is a process that requires the child to be present physically as well as resources that will not be available in an online session.
BetterHelp – Your Online Partner In Mental Health
Betterhelp is one of the largest online platforms that provides multiple services for all types of people who are suffering from mental health problems and require counseling. What is great about this service is that it is online hence it is available anywhere and every time. You do not have to go to the doctor’s office to get an appointment or wait in line for your turn. This is great if you feel pretty down and getting out of bed is a challenge for you!
With approximately 1700 licensed therapists available online at the click of a button, Betterhelp ensures that its clients receive the best help they can get by connecting them to professional therapists and counselors who know what they need to do This is apparent by the total number of sessions which Betterhelp has already conducted from their platform; a whopping 70 million sessions already completed! This is possible because the company understands the needs of clients well and hence provides therapy related services to them online and not just at physical location. In a world where things are changing constantly and the unknown is always around the corner, it is becoming more of a need rather than a desire to get services online and at your doorstep – we simply don’t have time nowadays!
When you visit their site, you will see that the company realizes the various situations you may be stuck in; you could be a child who needs help, a person in a relationship who feels they need to opt for couple therapy or an individual who is having a tough time facing their problems. The website also recognizes people who experience different feelings, thoughts and experiences compared to the vast majority of people; it does not judge a person based on how others are but how the person is themself! So don’t worry! You are in good hands at Betterhelp.
If Not Diagnosis Then What?
Just because Betterhelp does not diagnose disorders like ADHD does not mean it provides no services at all! Betterhelp as we mentioned deals with everyday issues individuals face. It tries to connect clients to service providers who can help clients manage their emotional and mental health issues in productive manners using communication and simple yet important activities.
How does Betterhelp reach out to its clients? Let us take as look at the following to find out:
- Chatrooms: These are open 24/7 and you can drop a message any time you feel like doing so. However, your counselor will only get back to you once they have the time or chance to. Usually people like dropping questions they want opinions on from their counselor and don’t mind waiting a bit.
- Live Chatting Sessions: here you can chat with your counselor in real time and there really is no limit on the number of messages exchanged or time spent talking here. It depends on the needs of the client and the nature of the problem.
- Live Phone Calls: Kind of like Skype this platform has their own system set up where you can have audio sessions with your service provider. It does not show your contact details to the counselor for reasons of privacy and in case the counselor and counselee become direct.
- Video Sessions: clients who are more comfortable or want a more personalized experience can also opt for video sessions. Like other mediums of interaction, there is no limit on these although people mostly hold the opinion that 1 or 2 sessions per week are sufficient.
Conclusion
The article looked at whether or not the online mental health platform diagnoses ADHD and if not then why. Furthermore, to help the audience develop a complete understanding of the topic, it described what ADHD is and what Betterhelp as a company does for its clients if not diagnosing their mental health disorders.
References
Find Hope and Healing Through Online Counseling on BetterHelp
