DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured, structured interview that has been developed to improve ADHD assessments in adults. This study aims at evaluating the validity of the criteria used in DIVA 2.0 as well as its validity in conjunction 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
Symptoms of ADD/ADHD affect every area of life, from relationships and career progression to the everyday tasks that make up our lives. It is essential that our ADHD assessment takes a comprehensive view, examining how symptoms impact all aspects of our lives. Dr Schilling will begin by evaluating your symptoms and medical history. She will then conduct the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to evaluate both the core symptoms of ADD/ADHD and how they have affected your life.
The DIVA is an interviewing tool designed by psychiatrists and psychotherapists to determine the signs of adult ADHD. It has been found to be extremely sensitive and specific. It is also extremely efficient in identifying people suffering from the disorder. It can increase awareness and diagnose adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semistructured diagnostic test available in the country.
A qualified clinician, typically a psychiatrist will ask questions to determine the primary symptoms of ADHD. These include inattention, hyperactivity and an impulsive nature. The clinician will also delve into the person's past and examine their childhood experiences and how they could have affected their current behaviours. This is because the signs of ADHD aren't something that just happens to appear in a flash, they manifest throughout one's childhood, teen years, and into adulthood.
The DIVA is able to effectively detect those suffering from ADHD, as it takes into consideration both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD during childhood and into adulthood and how these symptoms have affected an individual's daily functioning in five different areas of life: education, work, family/partner relations social activities/leisure time and self-esteem and self-confidence. Other screening tools, such as the WURS brief that was compared to the CAADID revealed low sensitivity and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
In order to diagnose ADHD in adults, it is important to determine the severity of the symptoms and their history. This can be done through conducting a thorough interview about childhood symptoms and an assessment of neurocognitive capacity. It is also essential to assess the effects of the symptoms on the person's life and work. This can be evaluated using a structured clinical interview, called the DIVA and, in some instances, getting information from family members and friends.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured, structured interview that was originally developed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been re-edited to be used in other countries, including Korea. This study looked at the criteria valid of the Korean version (DIVA-5) in the clinical sample of patients with ADHD.
During the DIVA The clinician will inquire about the presence of ADHD symptoms in childhood and adulthood, as well as the time at which the symptoms onset, and the extent of impairment caused by those symptoms. The doctor also collects a variety of sociodemographic information and inquires about any psychiatric comorbidity.
Patients were assessed for psychiatric co-morbidity using the MINI-S plus version 5.0.0, the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impairment Screening Instrument (BEARNI), and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). A diagnosis of clinical ADHD was determined by two psychiatrists with experience who utilized the DIVA-5 structured diagnostic interview to assess symptoms in both the early years and in childhood, and determine the duration of these 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 concordance with the WURS scale and fair concurrent validity with three self-report rating 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 to that of a clinical diagnosis made by two experienced psychiatrists. This was in line with the sensitivity and specificity of earlier screening tools, such ASRS and WURS.
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If you're not aware of ADHD it can greatly affect your life. It can affect many areas from your relationships, academic progress and work to the simple task of organising daily living. A diagnosis can help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses as well as provide solutions to improve your symptoms and coping mechanisms.
A licensed clinician, usually a psychiatrist or psychologist, will conduct a structured discussion with you regarding your current symptoms using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. This will involve asking standardised questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsiveness. from this source will also explore your personal history, including your childhood experiences, to obtain a complete picture of your symptoms and the impact they have on your life.
This method is essential to a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. This allows us to better comprehend your symptoms and guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is a highly efficient method of diagnosing adult ADHD, with high sensitivity and precision. It has also been proven to be valid as a criterion when compared with self-report scales for rating such as the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrent validity with these and good validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
In contrast to the more conventional methods used to assess ADHD in adults, the DIVA assessment is focused on identifying and discussing the symptoms that are present in both the teen years and into adulthood, increasing the accuracy of diagnosis and enabling an easier comparison of sociodemographic traits of the two groups. The DIVA assessment can also be used to assess the impact of co-existing disorders on the symptoms and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is unable to prescribe medication, it may be necessary to make an appointment with a Pediatrician or Psychiatrist for further assessment and/or therapy. They can refer you to a specialist Psychologist for further thorough evaluation of your symptoms and to determine if there are any co-occurring diagnoses and differentials. This includes assessing for co-occurring disorders like depression and anxiety. This will enable your Psychologist to suggest the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can alter your life. It provides answers to persistent issues and opens the door to effective treatment options. A good evaluation does require the expertise of qualified healthcare providers. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a well-structured and comprehensive tool, can help to improve adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by analyzing symptoms at different life stages. It also detects patterns of behavior that persist and assists in determining the difference between ADHD symptoms and other conditions like anxiety or depression.
In the DIVA ADHD assessment, a doctor conducts an interview to ask a series of questions about symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and the tendency to be impulsive. The clinician assesses the intensity, frequency and duration of symptoms to determine the extent to which they affect the person in various situations. This information can then be utilized to establish a precise diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment is validated in comparison with other diagnostic tools. It shows high sensitivity compared to WURS-briefs, CAA-DIDs and psychiatrist's assessments. It also has a high degree of validity in conducting an assessment of ADHD in five areas of daily functioning that include education and work relationships home and family, social contacts, and free time and hobby.
For an accurate DIVA assessment, the person being evaluated as well as their family and friends need to be present. This will help to build trust and a therapeutic bond that is important to the success of the assessment.
An experienced psychiatrist or psychologist who is skilled in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment can give a thorough report. This report will outline the findings of the assessment and recommend a treatment plan 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 to use the DIVA ADHD assessments and can give a thorough assessment. She can refer you to a specialist who will formulate a treatment plan. Please be aware that the recommended treatment method is a combination of medications and psychotherapy.