DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semistructured interview developed to improve ADHD assessment in adults. This study will evaluate the criterion valid of DIVA 2.0 and its concurrent validity compared to 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
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD affect every aspect of our lives from relationships to advancement in our careers and the daily tasks we perform. This is why it's crucial that our ADHD assessments adopt a holistic approach and look at how the symptoms affect 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 evaluate the main symptoms of ADD/ADHD as well as how they have affected your life.
The DIVA is a diagnostic interview tool developed by psychiatrists and psychologists to determine adult ADHD symptoms. It has been demonstrated to be extremely sensitive and specific. It is highly effective at identifying those who have the disorder. It is able to raise awareness of, and the diagnosis of the condition of adult ADHD in Korea since it is the only validated semi-structured diagnostic test for adults with ADHD available in the country.
A trained and experienced clinician, typically psychiatrists, will ask questions to determine the primary symptoms of ADHD. These include hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsive nature. The clinician will also look at the history of the individual and their childhood experiences and their impact on their present behavior. This is because the symptoms of ADHD don't just emerge suddenly, they develop through the teenage years, and even into adulthood.
The DIVA can effectively identify people suffering from ADHD, as it takes into consideration both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD during childhood and into adulthood and how the symptoms have affected an individual's daily functioning in five areas of life: education and work, family/partnership relations, social activities/leisure time, and self-esteem and self-confidence. Other screening tools, like the WURS brief that was compared to the CAADID demonstrated low sensitivity and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
In order to diagnose ADHD in adults, it is essential to determine the severity of the symptoms and their causes. This can be done with an extensive interview regarding childhood symptoms as well as a neurological assessment. It is also important to assess the impact of the symptoms on the individual's life and work. This can be assessed by conducting a structured interview, the DIVA and, in certain cases, getting information from relatives and friends.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured interview first designed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been re-edited for use in other countries, including Korea. This study examined the validity of the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in a clinical sample of adult patients with ADHD.
During the DIVA The clinician will inquire about the presence of ADHD symptoms during childhood and into adulthood, the age at which the symptoms onset, and the extent of impairment resulting from these symptoms. The clinician will also collect different sociodemographic information and inquire about any psychiatric co-morbidity.
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 determine if a psychiatric co-morbidity existed. diva assessment for adhd of ADHD was established by two experienced psychiatrists who used the DIVA-5, a structured diagnostic interview, to assess symptoms in both the early years and in childhood, and 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 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 diagnostic accuracy of the DIVA-5 was found to be comparable with the accuracy of a diagnosis established by two expert psychiatrists. This was in accordance with the sensitivity as well as specificity of earlier screening tools like ASRS and WURS.
Treatment
If you are not diagnosed with ADHD it can greatly impact your life. This can affect your relationships, academic performance, and work. It can also impact how you organize your day-to-day life. A diagnosis can help identify your strengths and weaknesses and provide treatment options to alleviate your symptoms and coping mechanism.
A trained psychologist (typically psychiatrists or psychologist) will have a structured conversation with you, using the DIVA-5 instrument to assess your current symptoms. This will consist of standardised questions regarding your levels of hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. It will also dig into your personal history and your childhood experiences to create an accurate picture of your symptoms.
This is essential to ensure a thorough diagnosis of adult ADHD. This allows us to better comprehend your symptoms and guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment can be used to diagnose adult ADHD with high specificity and sensitivity. It has also been shown to be reliable in determining the validity of criterion when compared with self-report scales for rating such as the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrent validity with these scales, and good validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
Contrary to the more conventional methods of assessing ADHD in adults, the DIVA assessment is focused on identifying and discussing symptoms that occur both during childhood and in adulthood, thus increasing the accuracy of diagnosis and enabling a more accurate comparison between sociodemographic traits of the two groups. The DIVA evaluation also gives an opportunity to consider the effects of co-occurring disorders on manifestation of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist cannot recommend medication, you may require an appointment with a psychiatrist or Paediatrician for further evaluation and/or treatment. They can refer you to an expert Psychologist for more in-depth evaluation of your symptoms and to look for co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing for comorbid conditions such as anxiety and depression. This will allow your Psychologist to suggest a suitable treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can change your life. It provides answers to persistent issues and opens the way to effective treatment options. However, a thorough evaluation requires the expertise of experienced healthcare experts. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a well-structured and extensive tool, helps to improve the adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by evaluating symptoms at different life stages. It also identifies persistent patterns of behavior, and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and other conditions that may present similar symptoms for adults, such as anxiety or depression.
In an DIVA ADHD assessment, a clinician uses a structured interview to ask several questions regarding symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The doctor evaluates the severity, frequency and duration of symptoms to determine how they affect the individual in different settings. This information can be used to make an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been verified against other diagnostic tools and shows high sensitivity when compared with the WURS-brief and CAA-DID as well as the assessment of a psychiatrist. It also has excellent reliability when it comes to assessing ADHD symptoms in five areas of daily functioning: work and education as well as relationships, family and home social interactions; free time and leisure.
For an authentic DIVA assessment, the person being evaluated as well as their family and friends need to be present. This helps to establish trust and create a therapeutic bond that is essential to the success of the evaluation.
A psychologist or psychiatrist with expertise in the DIVA ADHD assessment can write a detailed, professional report. This report will outline the results of the assessment and provide a treatment strategy that is based on the evidence.
Please contact us to set up an appointment if you or someone you love might be suffering from ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and is able to provide an evaluation. She will refer you to a specialist who will develop an appropriate treatment plan. Please be aware that the treatment plan recommended is a combination of medication and psychotherapy.