DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured, structured interview designed to improve ADHD assessments in adults. This study is aimed at assessing the criterion valid of DIVA 2.0 and its validity in conjunction with Conners Adult ADHD Diagnosis Interview for DSM-IV criteria.
Compared to the top 20 attributes, DIVA attributes that correlate strongest with diagnosis are attention deficit for both childhood and adulthood and hyperactivity/impulsivity for adults, followed by CAARS ADHD TT1 score and IOWA personality disorders evaluation.
Symptoms
ADD/ADHD symptoms affect all aspects of our lives from relationships to career advancement, and the everyday tasks we have to perform. It is essential that our ADHD assessment is a holistic view, examining how symptoms impact all aspects of our lives. Dr Schilling will begin by evaluating your symptoms and medical history. She will then take the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to examine the primary symptoms of ADD/ADHD and the impact these symptoms have had on your life.
The DIVA is an interviewing tool designed by psychiatrists and psychotherapists to evaluate the symptoms of adult ADHD. It has been shown to have sound sensitivity and a high degree of specificity. It is also extremely effective in identifying individuals suffering from the disorder. It can increase awareness and help diagnose adult ADHD in Korea as it is the only validated semistructured diagnostic interview available in the country.
A trained and experienced clinician, typically a psychiatrist will ask questions to determine the core symptoms of ADHD. These include inattention, hyperactivity and the tendency to be impulsive. The doctor will also dig into the background of the individual and examine their childhood experiences and how they may influence their present behavior. This is because the signs of ADHD aren't something that just happens to appear at a moment's notice, they are developed throughout the teen years, and even into adulthood.
The DIVA can detect ADHD because it takes into account both the DSM-IV ADHD criteria during childhood and into adulthood, and how these symptoms have affected the individual's daily functioning across five areas: education, employment relations with family/partners, social activities/leisure, and confidence in oneself. Other screening tools, such as the WURS brief that was compared to the CAADID revealed low sensitivity and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
In order to determine the presence of ADHD in adults, it is crucial to determine the severity of the signs and symptoms as well as their history. This can be done through an extensive interview regarding childhood symptoms as well as an assessment of the neurocognitive. It is also essential to assess the impact of the symptoms on the person's work and life. This can be assessed through a structured medical interview, called the DIVA and, in certain cases, obtaining information from friends and family members.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured, structured interview that was originally designed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been redesigned to be used with adult patients in other countries, including Korea. The study examined the criterion applicable to the Korean version (DIVA-5), in the clinical sample of patients with ADHD.
During the DIVA the clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms in the early years of life and into adulthood. They will also ask the age at which they first noticed symptoms and the level of impairment caused by these symptoms. The clinician also collects a diverse set of sociodemographic data and asks about any psychosis-related co-morbidity.
Patients were screened for psychiatric comorbidity using the MINI-S plus version 5.0.0 and the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impairment Screening Instrument (BEARNI) and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Two experienced psychiatrists employed the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 in order to establish a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. They evaluated symptoms in adulthood as well as childhood, and determined the duration of symptoms.
The sensitivity and specificity of DIVA-5 was found to be high for both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms in childhood and adulthood. cheap adhd assessment has good concurrent validity when compared with the WURS scale, and has fair validity when compared to three self-report ratings instruments which include the ASRS (self-report rating), FAB (self-report rating) and Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The sensitivity and specificity of the DIVA-5 was found to be high for all subtypes of ADHD in both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity in adulthood and during childhood. The accuracy of diagnosis of the DIVA-5 was found to be similar to the accuracy of a diagnosis established by two expert psychiatrists. This was in line with the specificity and sensitivity of earlier screening tools such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
If you are not diagnosed with ADHD it could significantly impact your life. This can affect your relationships, academic progress, and work. It can also affect the way you organize your day-to-day activities. A diagnosis can help you determine your strengths and weaknesses and offer treatment options to improve your symptoms and provide coping mechanisms.
A trained psychologist (typically psychiatrists or psychologist) will have an organized conversation with you using the DIVA-5 tool to evaluate your current symptoms. This will involve standardised questions about your levels of hyperactivity, attention deficit and an impulsiveness. It will also look into your personal history, including childhood experiences, in order to gain a complete understanding of your symptoms and their impacts on your life.
This approach is essential for a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. It also allows us to understand the root causes of your symptoms, which can help determine the best treatment for you.
The DIVA assessment can be used to determine adult ADHD with high specificity and sensitivity. It has also shown to have good criterion valid when compared with self-report scales, such as the Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrency with these and good validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA evaluation, in contrast to the more conventional methods of assessing ADHD in adulthood, focuses on identifying symptoms that are present in childhood and into adulthood. This improves the accuracy of diagnoses and allows a more accurate comparison of sociodemographic characteristics between the two groups. The DIVA assessment can also be used to assess the impact of co-existing disorders on the presentation and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is not able to recommend medication, it may be necessary to schedule an appointment with a Pediatrician or Psychiatrist for a further assessment and/or therapy. You can be referred to psychologists who specialize in more in-depth assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there is any co-occurring or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing comorbid conditions, such as anxiety or depression. This will allow your Psychologist to recommend the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
Getting diagnosed with ADHD can be life-changing and provide explanations for lingering issues and opening doors to effective treatment options. A thorough evaluation requires the expertise of trained healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a well-structured and comprehensive tool, helps to improve the adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by analyzing symptoms across different stages of life. It also helps identify patterns of behavior and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and those of other disorders that may present similar symptoms for adults, such as anxiety or depression.
In the DIVA ADHD assessment, a doctor conducts an interview to ask an array of questions about symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and an impulsiveness. The clinician assesses the intensity, frequency and duration of symptoms to determine the extent to which they affect the individual in different settings. This information can be used to develop an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been verified against other diagnostic tools and has shown high sensitivity when compared with the WURS-brief and CAA-DID as well as a psychiatrist's assessment. It has also excellent validity for conducting an assessment of ADHD in five areas of daily functioning: work and education, relationships with family and home social connections, free time and hobbies.
To be able to conduct an accurate DIVA assessment, the person being evaluated, their family and friends must be present. This helps build trust and a strong therapeutic connection, which is essential to the success of your evaluation.
A skilled psychologist or psychiatrist who has been certified in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment will be able to provide a detailed report. This report will present the results of the assessment and suggest a treatment plan that is based on the evidence.
If you think you or someone you love may be suffering from ADHD, please contact us for an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and is able to provide an assessment. She will then make an appointment with a specialist to develop an effective treatment plan. Please be aware that the recommended treatment approach is a combination of medication and psychotherapy.