DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured interview that has been developed to enhance 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.
Symptoms
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD can affect all aspects of life including relationships and career advancement to the everyday tasks that are part of our lives. It is important that our ADHD assessment takes a holistic approach, looking at how the symptoms affect all aspects of our lives. Dr. Schilling will begin by assessing your symptoms and medical history. She will then take the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview that is designed to assess the primary symptoms of ADD/ADHD as well as how they have affected your life.
The DIVA is an interview tool for diagnosing ADHD. It was developed by psychiatrists and psychologists to evaluate adult ADHD symptoms. It has been found to be highly sensitive and specific. It is also extremely effective in identifying those with the disorder. It is able to raise awareness and diagnose adult ADHD in Korea as it is the only validated semistructured diagnosis interview available in the country.
A qualified clinician, typically a psychiatrist will inquire about the primary symptoms of ADHD. These include inattention, hyperactivity and an impulsive nature. The psychologist will also look into the individual's history and examine their childhood experiences and how those may influence their present behavior. This is because the symptoms of ADHD aren't something that just happens to appear suddenly, they develop through the teenage years, and through adulthood.
The DIVA is able to effectively identify those with ADHD, as it takes into consideration both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in adulthood and childhood and how these symptoms have affected the individual's daily functioning in five areas of life - education and work, family/partnership relations, social activities/leisure time, and self-esteem and confidence in oneself. As a contrast, other screening tools like the WURS-brief which was compared with the CAADID, showed poor sensitiveness and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
In order to determine the presence of ADHD in adults, it is crucial to determine the severity of the symptoms and their causes. This can be done through an extensive interview about childhood symptoms as well as an assessment of the neurological. It is essential to take into consideration the impact these symptoms can have on a person's work and life. This can be determined by conducting a structured interview, the DIVA, and in some instances, getting information from family members and friends.
The DIVA is an interview with a semi-structured format that was first developed for use with adults in the Netherlands. It has been redesigned to be used by adults in other countries including Korea. This study evaluated the validity of the criterion used to determine the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in a clinical sample of adult patients with ADHD.
During the DIVA the doctor asks about the presence of ADHD symptoms during childhood and adulthood, as well as the time at which the symptoms first manifest, as well as the extent of impairment resulting from those symptoms. The clinician also collects a diverse set of sociodemographic data and inquires about any psychiatric or comorbidity.
The MINI-S as well as 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 with experience employed the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 in order to determine a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. They assessed symptoms in adulthood as well as childhood and determined the length 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 shown to have good concurrent validity with the WURS scale as well as 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 diagnostic accuracy of the DIVA-5 was found to be comparable with the accuracy of a diagnosis made by two experienced psychiatrists. This was in agreement with the specificity and sensitivity of previous screening tools like the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
If you have an undiagnosed ADHD, it can significantly affect your life. This can be in many areas from your relationships, academic and work progress to the simple task of organising your day-to-day life. A diagnosis can help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses as well as provide solutions to improve your symptoms and coping mechanisms.
A trained clinician, usually a psychiatrist or psychologist, will conduct a structured discussion with you about your current symptoms using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. It will ask you standard questions about your levels of inattention, hyperactivity and an impulsiveness. It will also look into your personal history, including your childhood experiences, in order to gain a complete understanding of your symptoms and their impact on your life.
This method is essential to ensure a complete diagnosis of adult ADHD. It also helps us understand the root causes of your symptoms, which will help guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment can be used to diagnose adult ADHD with high sensitivity and specificity. It has also been shown 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 has good validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
Unlike the more traditional methods used to assess ADHD in adults, the DIVA evaluation focuses on identifying and discussing the symptoms that are present in both childhood and adulthood, thereby increasing the accuracy of the diagnosis and allowing an easier comparison of sociodemographic traits of the two groups. The DIVA evaluation also provides an opportunity to look at the effect of co-occurring disorders on the manifestation of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is not able to prescribe medication, it may be necessary to set up an appointment with a pediatrician or Psychiatrist for further assessment and/or therapy. They can refer you to a specialist Psychologist for further in-depth analysis of your symptoms, and to assess for co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing any comorbid conditions, like depression or anxiety. This will enable your Psychologist to suggest an appropriate treatment plan.
Getting Started
Getting diagnosed with ADHD can be life-changing providing explanations for long-standing issues and opening doors to effective treatment options. However, a reliable assessment requires the expertise of qualified medical professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a structured and comprehensive tool, helps to improve the adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by evaluating symptoms at different life stages. It also helps identify patterns of behavior and differentiates between ADHD symptoms and those of other conditions that can exhibit similar symptoms in adults, such as depression or anxiety.
In an DIVA ADHD assessment, a doctor conducts an interview to ask an array of questions about symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsiveness. The doctor evaluates the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms to determine how they affect an individual in different settings. This information can then be used to create an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA test is confirmed in comparison to other diagnostic tools. It has a high sensitivity in comparison to WURS-briefs, CAA-DIDs and psychiatrist's tests. It has also excellent validity for assessing ADHD in five areas of daily function that include education and work relationships, home and family social connections, leisure time and hobbies.
To be able to conduct an authentic DIVA assessment, the person being assessed and their family and friends need to be present. This will help establish trust and create a strong therapeutic connection, which is essential to the success of your evaluation.
A psychiatrist or psychologist with experience in the DIVA ADHD assessment can provide an extensive professional report. how do i get my son assessed for adhd will outline the findings of the assessment and suggest a treatment plan that is based on the evidence.
If you think you or someone you love might be suffering from ADHD Contact us to make an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling has been trained to use the DIVA ADHD assessments and is able to provide a thorough evaluation. She will refer you to an expert who will create a treatment plan. Be aware that the recommended treatment method is a combination of medication and psychotherapy.