DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is an interview that is semistructured designed to enhance ADHD assessment in adults. This study will evaluate the criterion validity of 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 from relationships and career advancement to the day-to-day tasks that make up our lives. It is essential that our ADHD assessment is a holistic view, examining how symptoms impact all aspects of life. Dr Schilling will begin by evaluating 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, and the impact these symptoms have had on your life.
The DIVA is an instrument for diagnostic interviews created by psychologists and psychiatrists to assess adult ADHD symptoms. It has been proven to be highly sensitive and precise. It is highly effective at identifying those suffering from the disorder. It has the potential to increase awareness and the diagnosis of, adult ADHD in Korea, as it is the only validated semi-structured, semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults suffering from ADHD available in the country.
To conduct the DIVA the trained clinician typically psychologists or psychiatrists will ask questions about the core symptoms of ADHD such as hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. The doctor will also dig into the person's past by looking at their early experiences and how they may influence their present behavior. This is because the symptoms of ADHD do not just appear at a moment's notice, they are developed throughout the teen years, and even into adulthood.
The DIVA can effectively identify people suffering from ADHD by taking into consideration both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD during childhood and into adulthood and how these symptoms have impacted the individual's daily functioning in five distinct 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 with the CAADID demonstrated low sensitivity and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
In order to determine the presence of ADHD in adults, it is essential to evaluate the signs and symptoms as well as their history. This can be accomplished through conducting a thorough interview about childhood symptoms and a neurocognitive assessment. It is important to consider the impact these symptoms have on the person's work and life. This can be evaluated using a structured interview, the DIVA and, in some cases, asking for information from family and friends.
The DIVA is an interview with a semi-structured format that was initially designed for use with adults in the Netherlands. It has been revised for use with adult patients in other countries, including Korea. This study looked at the criteria applicable to the Korean version (DIVA-5), in an actual clinical sample of patients with ADHD.
During the DIVA the clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms during the early years of life and into adulthood. They will also ask the age at which they first noticed symptoms and the degree of impairment triggered by these symptoms. The clinician will also collect different sociodemographic information and inquire about any psychiatric co-morbidity.
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). A clinical diagnosis of ADHD was established by two experienced psychiatrists who used the DIVA-5, a structured diagnostic interview, to assess symptoms in both childhood and adulthood, and to determine the duration of those 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 to the WURS scale, and fair validity when compared to three self-report ratings instruments which 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 accuracy of diagnosing ADHD with the DIVA-5 was found to be comparable to that of a clinical diagnosis formulated by two renowned psychiatrists. This was in line with the specificity and sensitivity of earlier screening tools such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
Undiagnosed ADHD can have a major impact on your daily life. This can be in many areas, from relationships, academic and work progress to the basic tasks of organising daily living. A diagnosis can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and provide treatment options to alleviate your symptoms and cope mechanisms.
A trained professional (typically a psychiatrist or a psychologist) will have an organized conversation with you, using the DIVA-5 instrument to assess your current symptoms. It will ask you standard questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsiveness. It will also explore your personal history, including childhood experiences, in order to get a full picture of your symptoms and the impact they have on your life.
This method is essential to a complete adult ADHD diagnosis. adhd diagnostic assessment london allows us to understand the root causes of your symptoms, which helps guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is a highly efficient method of diagnosing adults with ADHD, with high sensitivity and specificity. It has also been demonstrated to be reliable in determining the validity of criterion when compared to self-report rating scales like the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrent validity these scales and has reasonable validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA assessment, in contrast to the more conventional methods of measuring ADHD in adulthood, focuses on identifying symptoms that manifest in the teen years and in adulthood. This increases the accuracy of diagnosis and allows a more accurate comparison of sociodemographic characteristics between the two groups. The DIVA assessment also allows for consideration of the impact of coexisting disorders on presentation and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is unable to recommend medication, it may be necessary to set up an appointment with a Pediatrician or Psychiatrist for a further assessment and/or therapy. You can be referred to psychologists who specialize in thorough assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there are co-occurring or different diagnoses. This includes assessing for comorbid conditions like depression and anxiety. This will allow your Psychologist to recommend an appropriate treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can alter your life. It offers solutions to persistent issues and opens the way to effective treatment options. However, a reliable assessment requires the expertise of experienced healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a well-structured and comprehensive tool, can help to improve the adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by analyzing symptoms at various stages of life. It also identifies patterns of behavior that persist and aids in distinguishing between ADHD symptoms and other conditions like anxiety or depression.
In a DIVA ADHD evaluation, a doctor will conduct an organized interview to ask a series questions regarding symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. The clinician evaluates the severity, frequency and duration of these symptoms to understand how they impact on the person's life and performance in a variety of settings. This information can be used to create an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA test is confirmed in comparison to other diagnostic tools. It has high sensitivity in comparison to CAA-DIDs, WURS-briefs and psychiatrist's assessments. It also has excellent reliability in conducting an assessment of ADHD in five areas of daily functioning: work and education, relationships home and family social connections, leisure time and hobbies.
A well-validated DIVA assessment requires participation from the person being evaluated and their close family members and their friends. This helps build trust and create a strong therapeutic connection, which is essential to the success of your assessment.
A psychologist or psychiatrist with expertise in the DIVA ADHD assessment can give a detailed, professional report. This report will present the results of the assessment and provide a treatment strategy that is based on the evidence.
If you suspect that you or someone you love might have ADHD, please contact us to make an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling has been trained in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessments and is able to give a thorough assessment. She will refer you to a specialist who will formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Please be aware that the treatment plan recommended is a combination of medication and psychotherapy.
