DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is an interview that is semistructured designed to enhance ADHD assessment in 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.
Symptoms
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD affect every aspect of our lives, from relationships to advancement in our careers and the daily tasks we do. It is essential that our ADHD assessment takes a holistic view, examining how symptoms affect all aspects of our lives. During your evaluation, Dr. Schilling will begin by collecting details of your symptoms and health history. She will then conduct the DIVA 5 assessment. This is a semi-structured, interview that evaluates both the core symptoms and the impact of ADD/ADHD on your life.
The DIVA is an interview tool designed by psychotherapists and psychiatrists to assess symptoms of adult ADHD. It has been demonstrated to have high sensitivity and specificity. It is also highly effective in identifying individuals suffering from the disorder. It can help raise awareness and diagnose adult ADHD in Korea as it is the only validated semistructured diagnostic interview available in the country.
To conduct the DIVA the trained clinician typically psychologists or psychiatrists will ask questions about the main symptoms of ADHD which include inattention, hyperactivity, and the tendency to be impulsive. The psychologist will also look into the individual's history by looking at their early experiences and how those may influence their present behavior. The symptoms of ADHD don't appear in a flash. They develop over a time from childhood to teenage years and into adulthood.
The DIVA can be used to detect ADHD due to its consideration of both the DSM-IV ADHD criteria in the early years and later in adulthood and how these signs affect the individual's daily functioning across five different areas: education, employment relations with family/partners, social activities/leisure, and confidence and self-esteem. As a contrast, other screening tools such as the WURS-brief which was compared with the CAADID, showed poor sensitiveness and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
To determine the presence of ADHD in adults, it is important that you evaluate the symptoms and their background. This can be done through a comprehensive interview about childhood symptoms and an assessment of the neurocognitive. It is essential to take into consideration the impact these symptoms have on the person's work and life. This can be assessed by conducting a structured interview, also known as the DIVA, and in some cases, obtaining information from friends and family members.
The DIVA is a semi-structured interview that was first developed for use with adults in the Netherlands. It has been redesigned for use with adult patients in other countries, including Korea. This study looked at the criteria that is valid for the Korean version (DIVA-5), in an actual clinical sample of adults with ADHD.
During the DIVA the doctor asks about the presence of ADHD symptoms in childhood and into adulthood, the age at which the symptoms onset, and the severity of impairment caused by those symptoms. The clinician will also collect various sociodemographic data and ask about any psychiatric co-morbidity.
MINI-S as well as Version 5.0.0, the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impaired Screening Instrument (BEARNI), as well as the Frontal Assessment Battery were used to screen for psychiatric co-morbidity. A clinical diagnosis of ADHD was established by two psychiatrists with years of experience who used the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to assess symptoms in both adulthood and 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. The diagnostic tool was demonstrated to have good concurrent validity 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 accuracy of the DIVA-5's diagnosis was found to be comparable to the accuracy of a clinical diagnosis given by two psychiatrists. This was in accordance with the sensitivity as well as specificity of earlier screening tools, such ASRS and WURS.
gp adhd assessment
If you're not aware of ADHD it could significantly impact your life. This can affect your relationships, academic progress as well as your work. It can also impact the way you manage your day-to-day activities. A diagnosis can help identify your strengths and weaknesses, as well as offer treatment options to improve your symptoms and cope mechanisms.
A licensed clinician, usually psychologist or psychiatrist will conduct an in-depth interview with you regarding your symptoms currently using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. This will involve asking standardised questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. It will also examine your personal history and childhood experiences to give you the full picture of your symptoms.
This method is essential to a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. This helps us better comprehend your symptoms and guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment can be used to determine adult ADHD with high specificity and sensitivity. It has also been shown to be a good criterion-validated test when compared with self-report scales like the Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrent validity with these scales and has good validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA evaluation, in contrast to traditional methods for testing ADHD in adulthood it focuses on identifying signs that manifest in childhood and adults. This improves the accuracy of diagnoses and allows for a more accurate comparison of sociodemographic characteristics between the two groups. The DIVA evaluation also offers an opportunity to consider the effects of co-occurring disorders on manifestation of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is not able to recommend medication, it may be necessary to schedule an appointment with a Pediatrician or Psychiatrist to further assess and/or therapy. You can be referred to psychologists who specialize in thorough assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there is any co-occurring or different diagnoses. This includes assessing for comorbid disorders like depression and anxiety. This will allow your Psychologist to suggest a suitable treatment plan.
Getting Started
Being diagnosed with ADHD can have a profound impact on your life and provide explanations for lingering problems and opening the door to effective treatment options. However, a thorough evaluation requires the expertise of qualified medical experts. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a structured and extensive tool that assists to improve the accuracy of adult ADHD diagnosis by assessing symptoms across different life stages. It also helps identify patterns of behavior, and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and those of other disorders that may present similar symptoms in adults, such as depression or anxiety.
In a DIVA ADHD assessment, a doctor conducts an interview to ask an array of questions about symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The doctor evaluates the frequency, severity and duration of these symptoms in order to understand how they impact an individual's life and functioning in several situations. This information can be used to determine an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment is validated in comparison to other diagnostic tools. It has high sensitivity compared to CAA-DIDs, WURS-briefs, and psychiatrist's assessments. It has also excellent validity for conducting an assessment of ADHD in five areas of daily function: work and education, relationships with family and home, social contacts, and free time and hobby.
To be able to conduct an authentic DIVA assessment, the person being assessed and their family and friends need to be present. This will help establish trust and strengthen the therapeutic bond, which is crucial to the success of your assessment.
A psychologist or psychiatrist with expertise in the DIVA ADHD assessment can write an in-depth, professional report. This report will present the results of the assessment and provide a treatment strategy that is based on evidence.
If you think you or someone you love may be suffering from ADHD 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 can then make an appointment with specialists to design an effective treatment plan. Please be aware that the treatment plan recommended is a combination of medications and psychotherapy.