DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured interview designed to improve ADHD assessments in adults. This study aims to evaluate 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.
Symptoms
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD impact every aspect of our lives including relationships and career advancement to the daily tasks that are part of our lives. That's why it is so important that our ADHD assessments adopt a holistic approach by examining how symptoms impact all areas of life. In adhd assessment uk free , Dr. Schilling will begin by collecting information about your symptoms and health background. She will then take the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to examine both the core symptoms of ADD/ADHD as well as how they have affected your life.
The DIVA is an interview tool for diagnosing ADHD. It was created by psychologists and psychiatrists to determine adult ADHD symptoms. It has been demonstrated to be extremely sensitive and specific. It is also highly efficient in identifying people suffering from the disorder. It can increase awareness and diagnose adult ADHD in Korea since it is the only validated semistructured diagnostic interview available in the country.
In order to conduct the DIVA, a trained clinician typically a psychiatrist or psychologist - will inquire about the primary symptoms of ADHD which include hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. The doctor will also dig into the person's past and examine their childhood experiences and how those may influence their present behavior. This is because the signs of ADHD do not just appear at a moment's notice, they are developed throughout one's childhood, teen years, and through adulthood.
The DIVA can identify ADHD because it takes into account both the DSM-IV ADHD criteria in childhood and in adulthood and how these symptoms have affected the person's daily functioning in five distinct areas - education, employment, family/partner relationships, social activities/leisure, and confidence and self-esteem. Contrary to this, other screening tools like the WURS-brief which was compared with the CAADID which showed poor sensitiveness and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
In order to diagnose ADHD in adults, it is crucial to determine the severity of the symptoms and their causes. This can be done with an extensive interview about childhood symptoms and a neurological assessment. It is also crucial to consider the effects of the symptoms on the person's life and work. This can be determined conducting a structured interview, the DIVA and, in some cases, getting information from family and friends.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured interview originally designed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been revised for use in other countries, including Korea. This study examined the criterion validity of the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in an adult clinical sample with ADHD.
During the DIVA the doctor will inquire about ADHD symptoms during childhood and adulthood. They will also inquire about the age of onset of symptoms and the degree of impairment caused by these symptoms. The doctor will also collect various sociodemographic data and ask about any psychiatric co-morbidity.
MINI-S and Version 5.0.0, the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impaired Screening Instrument (BEARNI) along with the Frontal Assessment Battery were used to determine if a psychiatric co-morbidity existed. A diagnosis of clinical ADHD was established by two psychiatrists with years of experience who used the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to evaluate symptoms in both 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 to the WURS scale, and has fair validity when compared with three self-report ratings instruments: 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 comparable to the accuracy of a clinical diagnoses given by two psychiatrists. This was in agreement with the specificity and sensitivity of earlier screening tools like the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
Undiagnosed ADHD can have a major impact on your daily life. It can impact your relationships, academic progress and work. It can also impact the way you manage your day-to-day activities. A diagnosis can help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses, as well as provide treatment options that improve your symptoms and coping mechanisms.
A licensed clinician, usually psychologist or psychiatrist, will conduct an in-depth interview with you about your current symptoms using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. It will include regular questions about your levels of hyperactivity, attention deficit and an impulsiveness. It will also look into your personal history, including childhood experiences to get an accurate picture of your symptoms.
This method is crucial to a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. This will help us better comprehend your symptoms and guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is an extremely efficient method of diagnosing adult ADHD with high sensitivity and specificity. It has also shown to be a good criterion-validated test when compared with self-report scales, such as the Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrency with these and reasonable validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA evaluation, unlike the more conventional methods of testing ADHD in adulthood it focuses on identifying signs that manifest in childhood and into adulthood. This increases the accuracy of diagnosis and allows for a more accurate comparison of the sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups. The DIVA evaluation also gives an opportunity to consider the effects of co-occurring conditions on the manifestation of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is unable to prescribe treatment, it might be necessary to make an appointment with a Pediatrician or Psychiatrist to further assess and/or therapy. You can be referred an expert psychologist for a more thorough evaluation of your symptoms and to determine if there are co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing for comorbid conditions like anxiety and depression. This will allow your Psychologist to recommend an appropriate treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can alter your life. It provides answers to persistent 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 adult ADHD diagnosis by evaluating symptoms across different life stages. It also detects patterns of behavior that persist of behavior and differentiates between ADHD symptoms and those of other conditions that may present similar symptoms in adults, such as depression or anxiety.
In the DIVA ADHD assessment, a doctor conducts an interview to ask several questions regarding symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and an impulsiveness. The doctor evaluates the frequency, severity and duration of these symptoms to determine how they impact an individual's life and functioning in a variety of settings. This information can then be used to develop an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been verified against other diagnostic tools and shows high sensitivity when compared to the WURS-brief, CAA-DID and an assessment by a psychiatrist. It also has a high degree of validity when it comes to assessing ADHD symptoms in five areas of daily functioning: work and education; relationships; family and home social interactions; free time and hobbies.
A valid DIVA assessment requires the participation of the individual being evaluated and their close family members and friends. This helps to establish trust and create a therapeutic bond that is crucial to the success of the assessment.
A psychologist or psychiatrist who has expertise in the DIVA ADHD assessment can give an extensive, professional report. The report will detail the findings of the test and suggest a treatment plan that is based on the evidence.
If you think you or a loved one might be suffering from ADHD Contact us to make an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and can perform an assessment. She can then make an appointment with a specialist to develop an effective treatment strategy. Please be aware that the recommended treatment approach is a combination of medication and psychotherapy.