DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is an interview with a semistructured format that was developed to improve ADHD assessment for adults. This study is designed to assess the criterion validity of DIVA 2.0 and its concurrent 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
ADD/ADHD symptoms impact all aspects of our lives from relationships to career advancement, and the everyday tasks we have to perform. That's why it is so important that our ADHD assessments take a holistic approach by examining how symptoms affect all aspects of life. During your assessment, Dr Schilling will begin by collecting details of your symptoms and health background. She will then conduct an DIVA 5 assessment. This is a semi-structured interview that evaluates both the core symptoms and the impact of ADD/ADHD your life.
The DIVA is an interviewing tool developed by psychiatrists and psychotherapists to assess symptoms of adult ADHD. It has been shown to have high sensitivity and a high degree of specificity. It is also extremely effective in identifying individuals suffering from the disorder. It is able to increase awareness of, and diagnosis of, adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults suffering from 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 impulsivity. The clinician will also delve into the individual's history by looking at their early experiences and how they could influence their present behavior. This is because the symptoms of ADHD aren't something that just happens to appear suddenly, they develop throughout one's childhood, teen years, and through adulthood.
The DIVA can effectively identify people suffering from ADHD because it takes into consideration both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in childhood and adulthood, and how those symptoms have affected the individual's daily functioning in five areas of life - education, work, family/partner relations, social activities/leisure time, and self-esteem and self-confidence. As a contrast, other screening tools such as the WURS-brief, which was compared to the CAADID which showed poor accuracy and negative predictive values.
Diagnosis
In order to diagnose ADHD in adults, it is important to assess the symptoms and their history. This can be done through an extensive interview regarding childhood symptoms as well as a neurological examination. It is essential to take into consideration the impact that the symptoms can have on a person's work and daily life. This can be determined by conducting a structured interview, the DIVA and, in some instances, getting information from friends and family members.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured interview originally designed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been updated to be used by adults in other countries, including Korea. why are adhd assessments so expensive looked at the criterion validity of the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in an adult clinical sample with ADHD.
During the DIVA the clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms in the early years and in adulthood. They will also inquire about the age of onset of symptoms and the degree of impairment triggered by these symptoms. The clinician also collects wide range of sociodemographic data and asks about any mental health co-morbidity.
Patients were examined for psychiatric comorbidity 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). A clinical diagnosis of ADHD was made by two psychiatrists with experience who used the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to determine the severity of symptoms in 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 has good concurrent validity when compared with the WURS scale, and fair validity when compared to three self-report ratings instruments which 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 diagnosis was found to be comparable to the accuracy of clinical diagnoses that were made by two psychiatrists. This was in line with the sensitivity and specificity of earlier screening tools, like ASRS and WURS.
Treatment
If you're not aware of ADHD it can greatly affect your life. It can affect many aspects, from relationships to work and academic progress to the simple task of organising daily living. A diagnosis can help you determine your strengths and weaknesses, as well as offer treatments that can improve your symptoms and coping mechanisms.
A trained psychologist (typically psychiatrists or psychologist) will conduct a structured discussion with you using the DIVA-5 tool to assess your current symptoms. This will involve standardised questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. It will also look into your personal history, including your childhood experiences, to get a full picture of your symptoms and the impact they have 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 will help guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is an extremely efficient method of diagnosing adult ADHD, with excellent sensitivity and specificity. It has also been demonstrated to be valid as a criterion when compared to self-report scales for rating such as the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concordance validity with these scales, and has fair validity with Sheehan’s Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA evaluation, in contrast to more traditional methods of assessing ADHD in adulthood, focuses on identifying symptoms that are present in childhood and adults. This improves the accuracy of the diagnoses and allows a more accurate comparison of sociodemographic characteristics between the two groups. The DIVA evaluation also offers an opportunity to think about the impact of co-occurring conditions on the manifestation 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 can be referred an expert psychologist for a more in-depth assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there are co-occurring or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing for co-occurring conditions like anxiety and 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 thorough evaluation requires the expertise of qualified healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a well-organized and comprehensive tool that helps to improve the accuracy of an adult ADHD diagnosis by assessing symptoms across various life stages. It also identifies patterns of behavior that remain and helps distinguish between ADHD symptoms and other conditions like depression or anxiety.
In a DIVA ADHD evaluation, a clinician will use a structured interview in order to ask a series of questions regarding symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. The doctor evaluates the intensity, frequency and duration of symptoms to determine how they affect an person in various settings. This information can then be utilized to establish a precise diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been confirmed in comparison to other diagnostic tools. It has a high sensitivity in comparison to WURS-briefs, CAA-DIDs and psychiatrist's tests. It also has excellent reliability when assessing ADHD in five areas of daily function that include education and work relationships with family and home, social contacts, and leisure time and hobbies.
A well-validated DIVA assessment requires the participation of the individual being evaluated as well as their close family members and friends. This will help build trust and create a therapeutic bond which is essential for the success of the assessment.
An experienced psychiatrist or psychologist who is certified in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment can provide a detailed report. This report will present the findings of the test and recommend a treatment plan that is based on evidence.
Please contact us to schedule an appointment if you think you or someone you know might be suffering from ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling has been trained in the use of DIVA ADHD assessments and can provide a thorough evaluation. She can then provide an appointment with specialists to design an effective treatment plan. Be aware that the recommended treatment approach is a combination of medications and psychotherapy.