DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured, structured interview that was developed to enhance ADHD assessments for adults. This study is designed to assess the criterion validity of DIVA 2.0 and its validity in conjunction with Conners Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV (CAADID) 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
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD affect every aspect of our lives from relationships to career advancement and the daily tasks we perform. It is important that our ADHD assessment is a holistic view, examining how symptoms impact every aspect of our lives. In your assessment, Dr. Schilling will start by gathering details about your symptoms as well as health history. She will then take the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to evaluate the primary symptoms of ADD/ADHD, and how they have affected your life.
The DIVA is a diagnostic interview tool created by psychologists and psychiatrists to determine adult ADHD symptoms. It has been found to be extremely sensitive and specific. It is also highly effective in identifying individuals suffering from the disorder. It has the potential to raise awareness of, and the diagnosis of, adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semi-structured, semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults with ADHD available in the country.
To perform the DIVA, a trained clinician - often psychologist or psychiatrist will ask questions about the core symptoms of ADHD which include hyperactivity, inattention, and an impulsive nature. The psychologist will also look into the person's past by looking at their early experiences and how they could have affected their current behaviours. The symptoms of ADHD do not appear suddenly. They appear over a long period of time from childhood through teen years and into adulthood.
The DIVA can detect ADHD due to its consideration of both the DSM-IV ADHD criteria in the early years and later in adulthood, and how these symptoms have affected the person's daily functioning in five distinct areas - employment, education and family/partner relationships and leisure/social activities, as well as confidence and self-esteem. In comparison other screening tools, like the WURS-brief which was compared to the CAADID which showed poor sensitivity and negative predictive values.
Diagnosis
To determine ADHD in adults it is crucial to assess the symptoms as well as their background. This can be accomplished through an extensive interview about childhood symptoms as well as a neurological assessment. It is also essential to assess the effects of the symptoms on the person's life and work. This can be evaluated using a structured clinical interview, the DIVA and, in some instances, getting information from friends and family members.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured interview originally designed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been updated to be used by adults in other countries, including Korea. This study looked at the criterion validity of the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in an adult clinical sample with ADHD.
During the DIVA the clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms during childhood and adulthood. They will also inquire about the age at which symptoms first started to manifest symptoms and the degree of impairment caused by these symptoms. The clinician also collects a wide range of sociodemographic data and inquires about any psychiatric or comorbidity.
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). A clinical diagnosis of ADHD was made by two psychiatrists with years of experience who utilized the DIVA-5, a 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. The diagnostic tool was demonstrated to have good concordance with the WURS scale as well as fair concurrent validity with three self-report rating 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 diagnosis of the DIVA-5 was found to be comparable with the accuracy of a diagnosis formulated by two renowned psychiatrists. This was in accordance with the sensitivity and specificity of previous screening tools such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
If you have an undiagnosed ADHD, it can significantly impact your life. It can affect many areas from your relationships, academic and work progress to the simple task of managing your daily life. A diagnosis can help you determine your strengths and weaknesses, and provide treatment options to alleviate your symptoms and coping mechanism.
A licensed professional (typically psychiatrists or psychologist) will conduct a structured conversation with you using the DIVA-5 tool to assess your current symptoms. It will ask you standard questions about your levels hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsiveness. It will also look into your personal history, including childhood experiences, to get a full picture of your symptoms and the impact they have on your life.
This approach is essential for a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. It also helps us identify the root cause of your symptoms, which can help determine the best treatment for you.
The DIVA assessment can be used to identify adult ADHD with high sensitivity and specificity. It has also been shown to have good criterion valid when compared to self-report scales, such as the Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrent validity with these scales and has good validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA evaluation, in contrast to traditional methods for testing ADHD in adulthood, focuses on identifying the symptoms that are present in childhood and adults. This increases the accuracy of the diagnoses and allows for a more precise comparison of the sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups. The DIVA assessment also permits consideration of the impact of co-existing disorders on the symptoms and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is unable to recommend medication, you may require an appointment with a Psychiatrist or a paediatrician for a more thorough evaluation and/or treatment. They can refer you to a specialist Psychologist to conduct an in-depth analysis of your symptoms and to assess for co-occurring diagnoses and differentials. This includes assessing for co-occurring disorders like anxiety and depression. This will enable your Psychologist an appropriate treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can alter your life. It provides answers to long-standing problems and opens the way to effective treatment options. However, adhd assessment uk free requires the expertise of experienced medical experts. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a well-structured and comprehensive tool, can help improve adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by analyzing symptoms at various stages of life. It also detects patterns of behavior that persist of behavior, and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and those of other conditions that may present similar symptoms for adults, such as anxiety or depression.
In a DIVA ADHD evaluation, a clinician will use an organized interview to ask a series of questions about the symptoms like hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsiveness. The clinician assesses the severity, frequency and duration of these symptoms to understand how they impact the individual's life and functioning in various environments. This information can be used to create an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment is validated in comparison with other diagnostic tools. It has a high sensitivity when compared to CAA-DIDs, WURS-briefs and psychiatrist's assessments. It also has excellent validity when it comes to assessing ADHD symptoms in five areas of daily functioning: work and education; relationships; home and family social interactions; free time and leisure.
A well-validated DIVA assessment requires the participation of the person being evaluated as well as their close family members and their friends. This will help establish trust and a strong therapeutic connection, which is crucial to the success of your assessment.
An experienced psychologist or psychiatrist who is trained in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment will be able to provide a comprehensive report. The report will detail the results of the assessment and recommend a treatment plan that is based on evidence.
If you think you or a loved one may be suffering from ADHD, please contact us for an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling has been trained in the use of DIVA ADHD assessments and is able to provide a comprehensive evaluation. She can then make an appointment with specialists to design an effective treatment strategy. Please be aware that an amalgamation of psychotherapy and medication is the most effective treatment.