DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured interview designed to enhance ADHD assessments for adults. This study will evaluate the criterion valid of DIVA 2.0 as well as its concomitant validity 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
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD affect every aspect of our lives from relationships to career advancement and the daily tasks we do. This is why it's important that our ADHD assessments take a holistic approach by examining how symptoms impact all areas of life. Dr. Schilling will begin by evaluating your symptoms and medical history. She will then conduct an DIVA 5 assessment. This is a semi-structured, interview that evaluates both the core symptoms and the impact of ADD/ADHD your life.
The DIVA is an interviewing instrument designed by psychotherapists and psychiatrists to determine the signs of adult ADHD. It has been demonstrated to have a high sensitivity to sound and a high degree of specificity. It is also extremely effective in identifying individuals suffering from the disorder. It has the potential to increase awareness of, and the diagnosis of adult ADHD in Korea, as it is the only validated semi-structured diagnostic test for adults with ADHD available in the country.
In order to conduct the DIVA the trained clinician - often psychologist or psychiatrist will ask questions about the core symptoms of ADHD, including hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The psychologist will also analyze the history of the individual, including their childhood experiences and the impact on their present behavior. The symptoms of ADHD don't appear in a flash. They develop over a time, from childhood to teen years and into adulthood.
The DIVA can be used to detect ADHD because it takes into account both the DSM-IV ADHD criteria in the early years and later in adulthood and how these signs affect the individual's daily functioning across five areas - education, employment, family/partner relationships social activities/leisure, as well as self-esteem/confidence. Contrary to this other screening tools, such as the WURS-brief, which was compared to CAADID, showed poor sensitivity and negative predictive values.
Diagnosis
To determine the presence of ADHD in adults it is crucial to assess the signs and symptoms along with their history. This can be accomplished through an extensive interview regarding childhood symptoms as well as an assessment of the neurocognitive. It is crucial to think about the impact that these symptoms have on the person's job and daily life. This can be assessed by conducting a structured interview the DIVA and, in certain cases, asking for information from relatives and friends.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured interview first designed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been re-edited to be used in other countries including Korea. This study examined the criterion that is valid for the Korean version (DIVA-5) in an actual clinical sample of adults with ADHD.
During the DIVA the clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms during the early years and in adulthood. They will also ask the age at which they first noticed symptoms and the degree of impairment triggered by these symptoms. The doctor will also collect different sociodemographic information and ask about any psychiatric co-morbidities.
The MINI-S plus Version 5.0.0, the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impaired Screening Instrument (BEARNI), along with the Frontal Assessment Battery were used to detect psychiatric co-morbidity. Two psychiatrists with experience utilized the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 in order to establish a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. They assessed symptoms throughout adulthood and 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. This diagnostic tool has good concurrent validity when compared to the WURS scale, and has fair validity when compared with three self-report ratings instruments that 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 comparable to the accuracy of a diagnosis formulated by two renowned psychiatrists. This was in accordance with the specificity and sensitivity of previous screening tools, such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
If you have an undiagnosed ADHD it could significantly impact your life. click here for info can affect many aspects, from relationships to work and academic progress to the simple tasks of managing your daily life. A diagnosis can help you determine your strengths and weaknesses and also offer treatment options to improve your symptoms and cope mechanisms.
A trained clinician (typically a psychiatrist or a psychologist) will conduct a structured conversation with you, using the DIVA-5 instrument to assess your current symptoms. This will consist of standardised questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. It will also look into your personal history including childhood experiences to get an accurate picture of the symptoms you are experiencing.
This method is essential to a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. It also helps us understand the root causes of your symptoms, which helps inform your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is a highly efficient method of diagnosing adult ADHD and has high sensitivity and specificity. It has also been proven to have sound criterion validity when compared with self-report rating scales such as the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concordance validity with these scales and good validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA evaluation, unlike traditional methods for testing ADHD in adulthood it focuses on identifying signs that occur during the teen years and in adulthood. This improves the accuracy of diagnosis and allows a more accurate comparison of sociodemographic characteristics between the two groups. The DIVA assessment also permits consideration of the impact of coexisting disorders on symptoms and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist does not prescribe medication, you might require an appointment with a psychiatrist or a paediatrician for a more thorough evaluation and/or treatment. You can be referred psychologists who specialize in thorough assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there are co-occurring or different diagnoses. This includes assessing for co-occurring conditions such as depression and anxiety. This will allow your Psychologist to determine the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
Getting assessment adhd with ADHD can be life-changing, offering explanations for long-standing issues and opening doors to effective treatment options. However, a good evaluation requires the expertise of experienced medical professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a structured and comprehensive tool that helps to improve the accuracy of an adult ADHD diagnosis by assessing symptoms across different life stages. It also helps identify patterns of behavior that persist and aids in distinguishing between ADHD symptoms and other disorders like depression or anxiety.
In the course of a DIVA ADHD evaluation, a practitioner will conduct an organized interview to ask a series questions regarding symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. The clinician evaluates the severity, frequency and duration of these symptoms to determine how they impact on the individual's life and how they function in various situations. This information can be used to create an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been validated in comparison to other diagnostic tools. It shows high sensitivity in comparison to WURS-briefs, CAA-DIDs and psychiatrist's tests. It also has a high degree of validity in conducting an assessment of ADHD in five areas of daily function such as education and work, relationships, home and family social connections, leisure time and hobbies.
A well-validated DIVA assessment requires participation from the person being evaluated as well as their close family members and close friends. This helps to establish trust and create a therapeutic bond that will be crucial to the success of the evaluation.
A qualified psychiatrist or psychologist who is skilled in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment will be able to provide a detailed report. The report will detail the findings of the assessment and recommend a treatment plan that is based on the evidence.
Please contact us to set up an appointment if you think you or someone you know might have ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and can provide an assessment. She can refer you to a specialist who will formulate a treatment strategy. Please be aware that the combination of medication and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment.