DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semistructured interview developed to improve ADHD assessment for adults. This study aims to evaluate the criterion validity of DIVA 2.0 and its concurrent validity in comparison 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 advancement in our careers and the daily tasks we do. It is crucial that our ADHD assessment takes a holistic perspective, looking at how symptoms impact all aspects of our lives. During your evaluation, Dr. Schilling will start by gathering details about your symptoms as well as health history. She will then conduct the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview that is designed to assess both the core symptoms of ADD/ADHD as well as how those symptoms have impacted your life.
The DIVA is an interview tool designed by psychotherapists and psychiatrists to assess symptoms of adult ADHD. It has been proven to have high sensitivity and specificity. It is also highly effective in identifying those with the disorder. It has the potential to raise awareness of, and the diagnosis of, adult ADHD in Korea since it is the only validated semi-structured, semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults with ADHD available in the country.
A trained and experienced clinician, typically a psychiatrist, will ask questions to determine the core symptoms of ADHD. These include hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The doctor will also analyze the background of the person, including their childhood experiences and the impact on their present behavior. This is because the signs of ADHD do not just appear in a flash, they manifest through the teenage years, and through adulthood.
The DIVA can be used to detect ADHD because it takes into account both the DSM-IV ADHD criteria during childhood and into adulthood and how these signs affect the individual's daily functioning in five distinct areas - employment, education and family/partner relationships, social activities/leisure, and self-esteem/confidence. Other screening tools, like the WURS brief that was compared to the CAADID revealed low sensitivity and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
To determine the presence of ADHD in adults, it is important that you evaluate the symptoms and their history. This can be done by an extensive interview regarding childhood symptoms as well as a neurocognitive assessment. It is essential to take into consideration the impact that the symptoms have on the individual's work and life. This can be determined through a structured medical interview, the DIVA and, in certain cases, obtaining information from friends and family members.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured interview originally designed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been revised for use in other countries including Korea. This study evaluated the criterion validity of the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in a clinical sample of adult patients with ADHD.
During the DIVA the doctor will inquire about ADHD symptoms during the early years and in adulthood. They will also inquire about the age at which they first noticed symptoms and the level of impairment caused by these symptoms. The clinician also collects a diverse set of sociodemographic data and asks about any psychosis-related or comorbidity.
MINI-S and Version 5.0.0, the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impaired Screening Instrument (BEARNI), and the Frontal Assessment Battery were used to screen for psychiatric co-morbidity. Two experienced psychiatrists utilized the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 in order to determine a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. They assessed symptoms both in 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. The diagnostic tool was demonstrated to have good concordance with the WURS scale, and 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 comparable to the accuracy of a diagnosis formulated by two renowned psychiatrists. This was in line with the sensitivity and specificity of earlier screening tools such as ASRS and WURS.
Treatment
If you have an undiagnosed ADHD, it can significantly affect your life. This can affect your relationships, academic progress, and work. It can also affect the way you organize your daily life. A diagnosis can help identify your strengths and weaknesses as well as provide treatment options to improve your symptoms and provide coping mechanisms.
A qualified clinician, typically a psychiatrist or psychologist, will conduct an in-depth interview with you about your current symptoms using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. It will ask you standard questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. It will also delve into your personal history, including childhood experiences, to get a full picture of your symptoms and their impacts on your life.
This method is essential to a thorough 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 sensitivity and specificity. It has also been shown to be valid as a criterion, when compared to 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 reasonable validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA assessment, in contrast to traditional methods for assessing ADHD in adulthood it focuses on identifying signs that manifest in childhood and into adulthood. This improves the accuracy of the diagnoses and allows for a more precise comparison of sociodemographic characteristics between the two groups. The DIVA evaluation also provides an opportunity to think about the impact of co-occurring disorders on the appearance of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is unable to prescribe medication, you may require an appointment with a Psychiatrist or a Paediatrician to discuss further evaluation and/or treatment. They will then refer you to an expert Psychologist for more in-depth analysis of your symptoms and to assess for co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. adhd assessment for women includes assessing co-occurring conditions, such as anxiety or depression. This will allow your Psychologist to recommend an appropriate treatment plan.
Getting Started
Being diagnosed with adhd assessment women can be life-changing and provide explanations for lingering problems and opening the door to effective treatment options. However, a good evaluation requires the expertise of experienced medical experts. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a standardized and comprehensive tool that can help to improve the accuracy of adult ADHD diagnosis by assessing symptoms across various life stages. It also identifies persistent patterns of behavior and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and other conditions that can exhibit similar symptoms in adults, like anxiety or depression.
In the DIVA ADHD assessment, a clinician uses a structured interview to ask an array of questions about symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and the tendency to be impulsive. The doctor evaluates the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms to determine the extent to which they affect the individual in different settings. This information can then be used to develop an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been verified against other diagnostic tools and exhibits high sensitivity in comparison to the WURS-brief and CAA-DID as well as a psychiatrist's assessment. It also has high accuracy when assessing ADHD symptoms in five areas of daily functioning: work and education as well as relationships, home and family social contact; free time and hobbies.
A well-validated DIVA assessment requires the participation of the individual being evaluated and their close family members and their friends. This will help build trust and a therapeutic bond that will be important to the success of the assessment.
A psychiatrist or psychologist with expertise in the DIVA ADHD assessment can write an in-depth, professional report. The report will detail the findings of the test and provide a treatment strategy that is based on the evidence.
If you suspect that you or a loved one might have ADHD, please contact us to make an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling has been trained in the use of DIVA ADHD assessments and can give a thorough assessment. She will refer you to a specialist who will develop an appropriate treatment plan. Be aware that a combination of medication and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment.