DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured interview that was developed to enhance ADHD assessments for adults. This study aims at evaluating the validity of the criterion used to determine 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.
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of ADD/ADHD affect all aspects of life, from relationships and career advancement to the day-to-day activities that comprise our lives. This is why it's important that our ADHD assessments take a holistic approach by examining how symptoms affect all aspects of life. Dr. Schilling will begin by assessing your symptoms and medical history. She will then conduct the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to evaluate the main symptoms of ADD/ADHD, and how those symptoms have impacted your life.
The DIVA is an interviewing tool developed by psychiatrists and psychotherapists to evaluate the symptoms of adult ADHD. It has been demonstrated to be extremely sensitive and precise. It is also extremely effective in identifying those with the disorder. It is able to raise awareness and help diagnose adult ADHD in Korea as it is the only validated semistructured diagnosis interview available in the country.
A trained and experienced clinician, typically psychiatrists will ask questions to determine the core symptoms of ADHD. These include hyperactivity, inattention, and an impulsive nature. The clinician will also look at the history of the individual, including their childhood experiences as well as their impact on their present behavior. This is because the signs of ADHD don't just emerge suddenly, they develop throughout one's childhood, teen years, and even into adulthood.
The DIVA can identify ADHD due to its consideration of both the DSM-IV ADHD criteria during childhood and into adulthood and how these signs affect the individual's daily functioning across five different areas: education, employment, family/partner relationships social activities/leisure, as well as confidence in oneself. Other screening tools, like the WURS brief, which was compared with the CAADID revealed low sensitivity and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
To diagnose ADHD in adults, it is essential to evaluate the symptoms and their causes. This can be done through an extensive interview about childhood symptoms and an assessment of the neurological. It is also important to look at the effects of the symptoms on the individual's life and work. This can be evaluated conducting a structured interview the DIVA and, in certain instances, obtaining information from family members and friends.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured interview first designed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been revised to be used in other countries including Korea. This study looked at the criteria that is valid for the Korean version (DIVA-5) in the clinical sample of adults suffering from ADHD.
During the DIVA the clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms during the early years of life and into adulthood. They will also ask the age at which they first noticed symptoms and the extent of impairment caused by these symptoms. The doctor also collects a diverse set of sociodemographic data and asks about any mental health co-morbidity.
Patients were assessed for psychiatric co-morbidity 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). A clinical diagnosis of ADHD was determined by two experienced psychiatrists who utilized the DIVA-5 structured diagnostic interview to determine the severity of symptoms in childhood and adulthood, and to determine the duration of these symptoms.
The sensitivity and specificity of DIVA-5 was found to be high for both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms in childhood and adulthood. This diagnostic tool was found to have good concurrent validity with the WURS scale as well as fair concurrent validity with three self-report ratings instruments: the ASRS, FAB, 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 diagnosing ADHD with the DIVA-5 was found to be similar to the accuracy of a diagnosis established by two expert psychiatrists. This was in agreement with the specificity and sensitivity of earlier screening tools like the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
Undiagnosed ADHD can have a significant impact on your life. This could be in a variety of areas, from relationships, academic and work progress to the simple tasks of managing your daily life. A diagnosis can help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and also provide treatment options that help you manage your symptoms and mechanisms.
A licensed clinician, usually psychologist or psychiatrist, will conduct an in-depth interview with you regarding your current symptoms using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. This will consist of standardised questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention and the tendency to be impulsive. It will also look into your personal history and childhood experiences to give you the full picture of your symptoms.
This method is essential to a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. This allows us to better understand your symptoms and inform your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is a highly efficient method of diagnosing adult ADHD and has high sensitivity and precision. It has also been shown to be valid as a criterion when compared with self-report rating scales such as the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrent validity with these and fair validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA assessment, in contrast to the more conventional methods of assessing ADHD in adulthood it focuses on identifying signs that occur during childhood and into adulthood. This increases the accuracy of the diagnoses and allows for a more accurate comparison of sociodemographic characteristics between the two groups. The DIVA evaluation also provides an opportunity to consider the impact of co-occurring disorders on the appearance of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist does not prescribe medication, you might need to make an appointment with a psychiatrist or a paediatrician for a more thorough evaluation and/or treatment. You can be referred to a specialist psychologist for a thorough assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there are co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing for co-occurring conditions such as anxiety and depression. This will help your Psychologist suggest a suitable treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can change your life. It offers solutions to persistent issues and opens the way to effective treatment options. A thorough evaluation requires the expert knowledge of qualified healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a well-structured and comprehensive tool, can help to improve the adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by evaluating symptoms across different stages of life. It also helps identify patterns of behavior that remain and assists in determining the difference between ADHD symptoms and other disorders, such as anxiety or depression.
In a DIVA ADHD evaluation, a practitioner will conduct an organized interview to ask a series questions about symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. The doctor evaluates the intensity, frequency and duration of symptoms to determine how they affect an individual in different settings. This information can be utilized to establish a precise diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment is validated in comparison to other diagnostic tools. It has high sensitivity compared to CAA-DIDs, WURS-briefs and psychiatrist's assessments. It has also excellent validity when conducting an assessment of ADHD in five areas of daily functioning that include education and work relationships with family and home social connections, leisure time and hobbies.
A well-validated DIVA assessment requires participation from the person being assessed as well as their closest family members and close friends. This will help build trust and a strong therapeutic bond, which is crucial to the success of your evaluation.
how to get a adhd assessment or psychiatrist who has experience with the DIVA ADHD assessment can provide an extensive, professional report. This report will outline the results of the assessment and recommend a treatment plan that is based on the evidence.
Contact us to make an appointment if you think you or someone you know might be suffering from ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and is able to provide an evaluation. She can refer you to a specialist who will formulate a treatment plan. Please be aware that the combination of medication and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment.