DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured interview that has been developed to improve ADHD assessments for adults. This study is aimed at assessing the validity of the criteria used in 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.
Symptoms
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD impact every aspect of our lives from relationships and career progression to the daily tasks that make up our lives. This is why it's crucial that our ADHD assessments adopt a holistic approach by examining how symptoms affect every aspect of life. During your evaluation, Dr. Schilling will begin by obtaining information about your symptoms and health background. She will then conduct a DIVA 5 assessment. This is a semi-structured, structured interview that evaluates both the core symptoms and the impact of ADD/ADHD your life.
The DIVA is a diagnostic interview tool developed by psychiatrists and psychologists to assess adult ADHD symptoms. It has been proven to have high sensitivity and specificity. It is also highly effective in identifying individuals suffering from the disorder. It has the potential to increase awareness of, and diagnose adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semi-structured, semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults with ADHD available in the country.
To perform the DIVA, a trained clinician - often psychologists or psychiatrists will inquire about the primary symptoms of ADHD which include inattention, hyperactivity and the tendency to be impulsive. The clinician will also look at the background of the person as well as their childhood experiences and their impact on their present behavior. This is because the symptoms of ADHD aren't something that just happens to appear in a flash, they manifest through the teenage years, and even into adulthood.
The DIVA can detect ADHD because it takes into account both the DSM-IV ADHD criteria in the early years and later in adulthood, and how these symptoms have affected the person's daily functioning across five areas - employment, education relations with family/partners social activities/leisure, as well as confidence in oneself. In comparison, other screening tools such as the WURS-brief which was compared with the CAADID and showed low sensitiveness and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
To determine the presence of ADHD in adults, it is important that you evaluate the symptoms as well as their history. This can be done by an extensive interview regarding childhood symptoms as well as a neurocognitive assessment. It is also crucial to look at the impact of the symptoms on the person's life and work. This can be determined using a structured clinical interview, also known as the DIVA and, in some instances, asking for information from friends and family members.
The DIVA is an interview with a semi-structured format that was initially developed to be used with adults in the Netherlands. It has been revised to be used with adult patients in other countries as well, including Korea. assessed for adhd I Am Psychiatry looked at the criterion validity of the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in an adult clinical sample with ADHD.
During the DIVA The clinician will inquire about the presence of ADHD symptoms in childhood and into adulthood, the age at which symptoms begin to manifest, and the extent of impairment resulting from those symptoms. The clinician also collects a variety of sociodemographic information and inquires about any psychosis-related comorbidity.
Patients were screened for psychiatric comorbidity using the MINI-S plus version 5.0.0 and the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impairment Screening Instrument (BEARNI) and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Two psychiatrists with experience used the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 in order to determine a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. They evaluated 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 with 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 diagnostic accuracy of the DIVA-5 was found to be similar to that of a clinical diagnosis formulated by two renowned psychiatrists. This was in agreement with the specificity and sensitivity of previous screening tools, such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
If you're not aware of ADHD, it can significantly affect your life. It can impact your relationships, academic performance and work. It can also affect the way you manage your day-to-day life. A diagnosis can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and also offer treatment options to improve your symptoms and provide coping mechanisms.
A licensed psychologist (typically psychiatrists or psychologist) will conduct a structured discussion with you, using the DIVA-5 tool to assess your current symptoms. It will include standardised questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. It will also explore your personal history, including childhood experiences, to obtain a complete picture of your symptoms and their impacts on your life.
This method is crucial for a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. It also allows us to understand the root causes of your symptoms, which can help inform your treatment.
The DIVA assessment can be used to diagnose adult ADHD with high sensitivity and specificity. It has also been shown to be reliable in determining the validity of criterion, when compared to self-report scales for rating such as the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good consistency with these scales and fair validity with Sheehan’s Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA evaluation, unlike more traditional methods of testing ADHD in adulthood it focuses on identifying signs that are present in childhood and adults. This increases the accuracy of the diagnoses and allows a more accurate comparison of the sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups. The DIVA assessment also permits consideration of the effects of coexisting disorders on the manifestation and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is unable to recommend medication, it could be necessary to set up an appointment with a Paediatrician or Psychiatrist for further assessment and/or therapy. You can be referred to an expert psychologist for a thorough assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there are any co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing co-occurring conditions, like anxiety or depression. This will enable your Psychologist recommend an appropriate treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can alter your life. It can provide answers to long-standing problems and opens the way to effective treatment options. A good evaluation does require the expert knowledge of qualified healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a standardized and comprehensive tool that can help to improve the accuracy of an adult ADHD diagnosis by evaluating symptoms across different life stages. It also identifies patterns of behavior that are persistent and aids in distinguishing between ADHD symptoms and other conditions like anxiety or depression.
In an DIVA ADHD assessment, a doctor conducts an interview to ask several questions regarding symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and the tendency to be impulsive. The clinician evaluates the frequency, severity and duration of these symptoms to determine how they impact the individual's life and how they function in various settings. This information can be used to determine an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment is validated in comparison with other diagnostic tools. It has a high sensitivity when compared to CAA-DIDs, WURS-briefs, and psychiatrist's tests. It also has a high degree of validity when it comes to assessing ADHD symptoms in five areas of daily functioning: work and education as well as relationships, family and home; social contacts; and free time and hobbies.
A valid DIVA assessment requires the participation of the individual being assessed as well as their closest family members and their friends. This will help build trust and create a therapeutic bond that is important to the success of the evaluation.
A psychologist or psychiatrist who has expertise in the DIVA ADHD assessment can give an in-depth professional report. This report will present the findings of the test and recommend a treatment plan that is based on the data.
If you suspect that you or a loved one might have ADHD, please contact us for an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and can perform an assessment. She will refer you to a specialist who will formulate a treatment plan. Be aware that a combination of psychotherapy and medication is the best treatment.