DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured, structured interview that has been developed to improve ADHD assessments in adults. This study will evaluate the reliability of the criteria used to determine 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
ADD/ADHD symptoms impact all aspects of our lives, from relationships to career advancement, and the daily tasks we do. This is why it's important that our ADHD assessments are holistic and look at how the symptoms affect all aspects of life. Dr Schilling will begin by evaluating your symptoms and medical history. She will then conduct the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to evaluate both the core symptoms of ADD/ADHD as well as how they have affected your life.
The DIVA is an interview tool for diagnosing ADHD. It was created by psychologists and psychiatrists to determine adult ADHD symptoms. It has been shown to have sound sensitivity and a high degree of specificity. It is extremely effective in identifying those who have the disorder. It can help raise awareness and help diagnose adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semistructured diagnostic interview available in the country.
To conduct the DIVA, a trained clinician typically psychologists or psychiatrists will ask questions about the main symptoms of ADHD such as inattention, hyperactivity and the tendency to be impulsive. The psychologist will also analyze the history of the individual, including their childhood experiences as well as their impact on their current behaviours. This is because the symptoms of ADHD don't just emerge at a moment's notice, they are developed throughout the teen years, and through adulthood.
The DIVA can efficiently identify people suffering from ADHD by taking into account both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in childhood and adulthood and how the symptoms have impacted the individual's daily functioning in five distinct areas of life: education, work, family/partner relations and leisure time/social activities, and self-esteem and confidence in oneself. Other screening tools, for instance the WURS brief that was compared with the CAADID showed poor sensitivity, and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
In order to diagnose ADHD in adults, it is essential to determine the severity of the signs and symptoms as well as their history. This can be done with an extensive interview regarding childhood symptoms and an assessment of the neurological. It is also essential to assess the effects of the symptoms the person's work and life. This can be assessed by using a structured interview, the DIVA and, in some instances, obtaining information from family and friends.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured, structured interview that was originally developed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been updated for use with adult patients in other countries as well, including Korea. This study looked at the validity of the criterion used to determine the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in an adult clinical sample with ADHD.
During the DIVA the doctor will inquire about ADHD symptoms in the early years of life and into adulthood. They will also inquire about the age at which symptoms first started to manifest symptoms and the level of impairment caused by these symptoms. The clinician also collects a diverse set of sociodemographic data and asks about any mental health comorbidity.
MINI-S plus Version 5.0.0 and the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impaired Screening Instrument (BEARNI) as well as the Frontal Assessment Battery were used to screen for psychiatric co-morbidity. Two psychiatrists who are experienced employed the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 in order to establish a 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 was found to have good concurrent validity with the WURS scale as well as fair concurrent validity with three self-report rating instruments: 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. how to get an adhd assessment of diagnosis of the DIVA-5 was found to be similar to that of a clinical diagnosis established by two expert psychiatrists. This was in line with the specificity and sensitivity of previous screening tools such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
Undiagnosed ADHD can have a major impact on your daily life. This can affect your relationships, academic progress as well as your work. It can also impact how you organize your day-to-day life. A diagnosis can help you identify your strengths and difficulties, as well as provide treatments that can improve your symptoms and coping mechanisms.
A trained psychologist (typically a psychiatrist or a psychologist) will conduct an organized conversation with you, using the DIVA-5 tool to assess your current symptoms. This will consist of regular questions about your levels of hyperactivity, attention deficit and an impulsiveness. It will also delve into your personal history, including your childhood experiences, in order to get a full picture of your symptoms and their impact on your life.
This method is crucial to a complete adult ADHD diagnosis. It also helps us identify the root cause of your symptoms, which can help inform your treatment.
The DIVA assessment can be used to determine adult ADHD with high specificity and sensitivity. It has also been proven to have good criterion valid when compared with self-report scales like the Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concordance validity with these scales and reasonable validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
Unlike the more traditional methods of assessing ADHD in adults, the DIVA test focuses on identifying and discussing symptoms that can be observed in childhood and adulthood, thereby increasing the accuracy of diagnosis and allowing for a more accurate comparison between sociodemographic traits of the two groups. The DIVA assessment can also be used to assess the effect of coexisting disorders on manifestation and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist does not recommend medication, you may need to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist or a paediatrician for a more thorough assessment and/or treatment. They will then refer you to an expert Psychologist for more thorough evaluation of your symptoms and to determine if there are any differential or co-occurring diagnoses. This includes assessing for co-occurring conditions like depression and anxiety. This will help your Psychologist determine the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
Getting diagnosed with ADHD can be life-changing and provide explanations for lingering problems and opening the door to effective treatment options. However, a reliable assessment requires the expertise of experienced medical professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a well-structured and comprehensive tool, can help improve adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by analyzing symptoms at different life stages. It also identifies persistent patterns of behavior and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and other conditions which may have similar symptoms in adults, such as anxiety or depression.
In an DIVA ADHD evaluation, a clinician will use an organized interview to ask a series questions about symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. The clinician assesses the frequency, severity and duration of these symptoms to understand how they impact an person's life and performance in several environments. This information can be used to determine an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA test is confirmed in comparison to other diagnostic tools. It has a high sensitivity compared to WURS-briefs, CAA-DIDs and psychiatrist's assessments. It also has a high degree of validity for it comes to assessing ADHD in five areas of daily functioning: work and education, relationships home and family, social contacts, and free time and hobbies.
For an authentic DIVA assessment, the person being evaluated as well as their family members and friends must be present. This helps build trust and a strong therapeutic connection, which is crucial to the success of your evaluation.
A psychiatrist or psychologist with expertise in the DIVA ADHD assessment can write an in-depth professional report. This report will outline the findings of the test and suggest a treatment plan that is based on the data.
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 to use the DIVA ADHD assessments and can provide a comprehensive evaluation. She can refer you to a specialist who will formulate a treatment plan. Be aware that the recommended treatment method is a combination of medication and psychotherapy.