DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured interview that was developed to improve ADHD assessments in adults. This study aims to evaluate the reliability of the criteria used to determine 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
ADD/ADHD symptoms impact all aspects of our lives from relationships to career advancement, and the daily tasks we perform. It is important 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 conduct the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to examine the primary symptoms of ADD/ADHD, and how those symptoms have impacted your life.
The DIVA is an interviewing tool designed by psychotherapists and psychiatrists to assess symptoms of adult ADHD. It has been proven to have a high sensitivity to sound and specificity. It is also extremely effective in identifying individuals suffering from the disorder. It is able to increase awareness and diagnosis of, adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semi-structured diagnostic test for adults with ADHD available in the country.
A trained and experienced clinician, typically psychiatrists, will ask questions to determine the core symptoms of ADHD. These include hyperactivity, inattention, and an impulsive nature. The doctor will also dig into the person's past, looking at their childhood experiences and how they may have influenced their behavior. This is because the signs of ADHD do not just appear suddenly, they develop throughout the teen years, and through adulthood.
The DIVA can efficiently identify those with ADHD, as it takes into consideration both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in adulthood and childhood, and how those symptoms have affected the person's daily functioning in five areas of life: education, work, family/partner relations, social activities/leisure time, and self-esteem and confidence in oneself. Other screening tools, such as the WURS brief that was compared to the CAADID demonstrated low sensitivity and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
To diagnose ADHD in adults it is essential to evaluate the signs and symptoms along with their background. This can be accomplished through a comprehensive interview on childhood symptoms as well as a neurological examination. It is also essential to assess the effects of the symptoms on the person's work and life. This can be evaluated conducting a structured interview the DIVA and, in certain instances, obtaining information from family and friends.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured interview originally developed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been revised to be used in other countries including Korea. This study examined the criterion validity of the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in a clinical sample of adults with ADHD.
During the DIVA, the clinician asks about the presence of ADHD symptoms during childhood and into adulthood, the age at which the symptoms begin to manifest, and the severity of impairment resulting from those symptoms. The clinician also collects a variety of sociodemographic information and asks about any psychosis-related comorbidity.
Patients were assessed for psychiatric co-morbidity 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 who are experienced employed the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 in order to establish a diagnosis of ADHD. They assessed 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 to 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 accuracy of the DIVA-5's diagnostics was found to be comparable to the accuracy of a clinical diagnosis made by two psychiatrists. This was in accordance with the specificity and sensitivity of previous screening tools such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
Undiagnosed ADHD can have a significant impact on your daily life. It can affect many areas, from relationships, work and academic progress to the simple task of managing your daily life. A diagnosis can help identify your strengths and weaknesses and also provide treatment options to improve your symptoms and provide coping mechanisms.
A trained clinician, usually a psychiatrist or psychologist, will conduct an in-depth interview with you about your symptoms currently using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. It will ask you standard questions about your levels of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. It will also explore your personal history, including your childhood experiences, to obtain a complete picture of your symptoms and their impact on your life.
This approach is crucial to ensure a complete diagnosis of adult ADHD. It also allows us to determine the root of your symptoms, which helps guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment can be used to determine 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 Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good consistency with these scales and fair validity with Sheehan’s Dysfunction Inventory.
Contrary to the more conventional methods of assessing ADHD in adults, the DIVA test is focused on identifying and discussing symptoms that occur both during the teen years and into adulthood, increasing the accuracy of diagnosis and enabling an accurate comparison between the sociodemographic characteristics of both groups. The DIVA evaluation also provides an opportunity to think about the effect of co-occurring disorders on the appearance 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 then refer you to a specialist Psychologist to conduct an in-depth analysis of your symptoms, and to look for differential or co-occurring diagnoses. This includes assessing for co-occurring disorders like depression and anxiety. This will enable your Psychologist determine the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can change your life. It offers solutions to persistent issues and opens the door to effective treatment options. However, a thorough evaluation requires the expertise of experienced healthcare experts. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a structured and extensive tool, helps improve adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by evaluating symptoms at different life stages. It also detects patterns of behavior that persist of behavior and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and other conditions which may have similar symptoms in adults, like depression or anxiety.
In a DIVA ADHD evaluation, a clinician will use an organized interview to ask a series of questions regarding symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention and the tendency to be impulsive. The clinician assesses the intensity, frequency and duration of symptoms to determine how they affect an person in various settings. This information can be used to create an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment is validated in comparison with other diagnostic tools. It has high sensitivity compared to CAA-DIDs, WURS-briefs, and psychiatrist's tests. It also has a high degree of validity in conducting an assessment of ADHD in five areas of daily functioning such as education and work, relationships, home and family social connections, free time and hobby.
To be able to conduct an accurate DIVA assessment, the individual being assessed and their family members and friends must be present. This helps to establish trust and create a therapeutic bond which is crucial to the success of the assessment.
A psychologist or psychiatrist with expertise in the DIVA ADHD assessment can give a detailed professional report. This report will outline the findings of the test and recommend a treatment plan based on the evidence.
If you suspect that 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 is able to provide an evaluation. adhd assessment cost will refer you to a specialist who will develop an appropriate treatment plan. Be aware that an amalgamation of psychotherapy and medication is the best treatment.