DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semistructured interview developed to enhance ADHD assessment for adults. This study is designed to assess the criterion validity of DIVA 2.0 and its concomitant 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
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD can affect every aspect of our lives from relationships and career advancement to the day-to-day activities that comprise our lives. This is why it's important that our ADHD assessments adopt a holistic approach, looking at how symptoms affect all aspects of life. Dr Schilling will begin by evaluating your symptoms and medical 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 and the impact these symptoms have had on your life.
The DIVA is a diagnostic interview tool developed by psychiatrists and psychologists to determine adult ADHD symptoms. It has been found to be extremely sensitive and specific. It is also extremely effective in identifying those with the disorder. It is able to raise awareness and help diagnose adult ADHD in Korea as it is the only validated semistructured diagnostic interview available in the country.
A trained clinician, usually a psychiatrist, will ask questions to determine the primary symptoms of ADHD. These include inattention, hyperactivity and an impulsive nature. The clinician will also examine the history of the individual, including their childhood experiences and their influence on their behavior. This is because the signs of ADHD do not just appear suddenly, they develop through the teenage years, and into adulthood.
The DIVA can efficiently identify those with ADHD by taking into consideration both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD during childhood and into adulthood, and how those symptoms have affected an person's daily functioning in five different areas of life: education and work, family/partnership relations and leisure time/social activities, and self-esteem and confidence in oneself. In comparison other screening tools, such as the WURS-brief, which was compared to the CAADID, showed poor accuracy and negative predictive values.
Diagnosis
To diagnose ADHD in adults, it is essential to evaluate the symptoms and their background. This can be done with an extensive interview about childhood symptoms as well as a neurological assessment. It is crucial to think about the impact that the symptoms have on the person's job and daily life. This can be assessed by using a structured interview, the DIVA and, in certain cases, getting information from family and friends.
The DIVA is an interview that is semi-structured and 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 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 clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms in the early years of life and into adulthood. They will also inquire about the age at which they first noticed symptoms and the extent of impairment triggered by these symptoms. The clinician also collects a variety of sociodemographic information and asks about any mental health or comorbidity.
The MINI-S as well as Version 5.0.0 and the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impaired Screening Instrument (BEARNI) and the Frontal Assessment Battery were used to determine if a psychiatric co-morbidity existed. A diagnosis of clinical ADHD was made by two experienced psychiatrists who utilized the DIVA-5 structured diagnostic interview to determine the severity of symptoms in the early years and in childhood, and 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 with the WURS scale and has fair validity when compared to 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 DIVA-5's diagnostic accuracy was found to be similar to that of a clinical diagnoses made by two psychiatrists. This was in line with the sensitivity and specificity of previous screening tools, such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
Undiagnosed ADHD can have a major impact on your life. This can affect your relationships, academic progress as well as your work. It can also impact the way you organize your day-to-day life. A diagnosis can help you determine your strengths and difficulties, and also provide treatments that can help you manage your symptoms and mechanisms.
A trained clinician, usually psychologist or psychiatrist will conduct an in-depth interview with you regarding your symptoms currently using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. adhd assessment london will include standardised questions regarding your levels of hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. It will also look into your personal history, including your childhood experiences, in order to obtain a complete picture of your symptoms and their impacts on your life.
This method is essential to a complete adult ADHD diagnosis. This will help us better know your symptoms and help you with your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is an extremely efficient method of diagnosing adult ADHD with excellent sensitivity and specificity. It has also been proven to have sound criterion validity when compared with self-report rating scales like the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrency with these and fair validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
In contrast to the more conventional methods for assessing ADHD in adults, the DIVA assessment is focused on identifying and discussing symptoms that are present in both childhood and adulthood, thereby increasing the accuracy of diagnosis and allowing for a more accurate comparison between the sociodemographic characteristics of both groups. The DIVA evaluation also provides an opportunity to think about the effects of co-occurring conditions on the appearance of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is unable to prescribe medication, you might require an appointment with a psychiatrist or a Paediatrician to discuss further assessment and/or treatment. You may be referred to psychologists who specialize in more in-depth assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there is any co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing any comorbid conditions, such as anxiety or depression. This will help your Psychologist suggest a suitable treatment plan.
Getting Started
Being diagnosed with ADHD can be life-changing and provide explanations for lingering problems and opening the door to effective treatment options. However, a reliable assessment requires the expertise of qualified medical experts. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a well-structured and comprehensive tool, can help to improve adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by analyzing symptoms at various stages of life. It also helps identify patterns of behavior and differentiates between ADHD symptoms and those of other conditions that can exhibit similar symptoms for adults, such as depression or anxiety.
In the DIVA ADHD assessment, a doctor conducts an interview to ask a series of questions about symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The clinician assesses the severity, frequency and duration of these symptoms to determine how they impact an person's life and performance in various situations. This information is then used to develop an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been validated against other diagnostic tools and has shown high sensitivity in comparison to the WURS-brief and CAA-DID as well as the assessment of a psychiatrist. It also has a high degree of validity for it comes to assessing ADHD in five areas of daily functioning: work and education, relationships, home and family, social contacts, and leisure time and hobbies.
For a valid DIVA assessment, the person being assessed and their family and friends need to be present. This helps build trust and a strong therapeutic bond, which is essential to the success of your evaluation.
An experienced psychologist or psychiatrist who is certified in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment can provide a comprehensive report. This report will outline the results of the assessment and recommend a treatment plan that is based on evidence.
Please contact us to schedule an appointment if you or someone you know might be suffering from ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and is able to provide an assessment. She can then make an appointment with a specialist to develop an effective treatment plan. Be aware that the treatment plan recommended is a combination of medication and psychotherapy.