DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is an interview that is semistructured designed to enhance ADHD assessment for adults. This study aims at evaluating the validity of the criteria used in DIVA 2.0 as well as its concomitant validity 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
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD affect every aspect of our lives from relationships to career advancement and the daily tasks we perform. It is crucial that our ADHD assessment takes a holistic view, examining how symptoms impact every aspect 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 examine the main symptoms of ADD/ADHD as well as how those symptoms have impacted your life.
The DIVA is an interviewing tool designed by psychiatrists and psychotherapists to assess symptoms of adult ADHD. It has been demonstrated to have a high sensitivity to sound and specificity. It is also highly effective in identifying individuals suffering from the disorder. It can increase awareness and help diagnose adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semistructured diagnostic interview available in the country.
A trained and experienced clinician, typically psychiatrists will inquire about the primary symptoms of ADHD. These include inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The doctor will also dig into the individual's history by looking at their early experiences and how they could have affected their current behaviours. This is because the signs of ADHD do not just appear in a flash, they manifest through the teenage years, and even into adulthood.
The DIVA can efficiently identify those with ADHD because it takes into consideration both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in adulthood and childhood and how these symptoms have affected an person's daily functioning in five distinct areas of life - education work, family/partner relationships, family, social activities/leisure time, and self-esteem and confidence in oneself. In comparison other screening tools, like the WURS-brief which was compared to CAADID, showed poor sensitivity and negative predictive values.
Diagnosis
To diagnose ADHD in adults, it is essential to evaluate the signs and symptoms along with their history. This can be done through a comprehensive interview on childhood symptoms and an assessment of the neurological. It is crucial to think about the impact that these symptoms can have on a person's work and daily life. This can be evaluated by conducting a structured interview, the DIVA and, in some instances, asking for information from friends and family members.
The DIVA is an interview with a semi-structured format that was first developed for use with adults in the Netherlands. It has been re-edited to be used in other countries including Korea. The study examined the criterion applicable to the Korean version (DIVA-5) using an actual clinical sample of adults suffering from ADHD.
During the DIVA the clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms in childhood and adulthood. They will also inquire about the age at which symptoms first started to manifest symptoms and the degree of impairment triggered by these symptoms. The doctor also collects a diverse set of sociodemographic data and asks about any psychiatric comorbidity.
Patients were examined for psychiatric comorbidity using the MINI-S plus version 5.0.0 as well as 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 has good concurrent validity when compared with the WURS scale and has 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 DIVA-5's diagnostic accuracy was found to be similar to the accuracy of a clinical diagnoses that were made by two psychiatrists. This was in line 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 life. It can impact your relationships, academic performance as well as your work. It can also affect how you organize your day-to-day life. A diagnosis can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, as well as provide solutions to help you manage your symptoms and mechanisms.
A trained clinician, usually a psychiatrist or psychologist, 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 hyperactivity, inattention, and an impulsiveness. It will also delve into your personal history, including childhood experiences, in order to obtain a complete picture of your symptoms and their impact on your life.
Read Much more is crucial for a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. This allows us to better know your symptoms and help you with your treatment.
The DIVA assessment can be used to determine adult ADHD with high specificity and sensitivity. It has also been proven to be valid as a criterion when compared to self-report rating scales like the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrent validity with these scales and has fair validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
In contrast to the more conventional methods for assessing ADHD in adults, the DIVA test focuses on identifying and discussing symptoms that can be observed in the teen years and into adulthood, increasing the accuracy of the diagnosis and allowing an easier comparison of sociodemographic traits of the two groups. The DIVA assessment also permits consideration of the impact of coexisting disorders on presentation and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is unable to prescribe medication, you may need to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist or a Paediatrician to discuss further evaluation and/or treatment. They can refer you to an expert Psychologist for more thorough evaluation of your symptoms, and to assess for co-occurring diagnoses and differentials. This includes assessing for co-occurring disorders like anxiety and depression. This will help your Psychologist determine the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can transform your life. It can provide answers to persistent problems and opens the door to effective treatment options. A thorough evaluation requires the expertise of trained healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a well-structured and extensive tool, helps to improve the adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by analyzing symptoms across different stages of life. It also detects patterns of behavior that are persistent and aids in distinguishing between ADHD symptoms and other conditions, such as anxiety or depression.
In the course of a DIVA ADHD evaluation, a practitioner will conduct an organized interview to ask a series of questions regarding symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The clinician evaluates the intensity, frequency and duration of symptoms to determine how they affect the individual in different settings. This information can be used to determine an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been validated against other diagnostic tools and exhibits high sensitivity in comparison to the WURS-brief, CAA-DID and a psychiatrist's assessment. It also has excellent reliability for it comes to assessing ADHD in five areas of daily functioning such as education and work, relationships with family and home social connections, free time and hobbies.
A valid DIVA assessment requires the participation of the individual being assessed as well as their closest family members and close friends. This helps build trust and a strong therapeutic bond, which is essential to the success of your assessment.
A psychiatrist or psychologist with expertise in the DIVA ADHD assessment can write an in-depth, professional report. The report will detail the findings of the assessment and recommend a treatment plan based on the evidence.
If you think you or someone you love might have ADHD, please contact us to make an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and can perform an assessment. She will then make an appointment with a specialist to develop an effective treatment strategy. Please be aware that the treatment plan recommended is a combination of medications and psychotherapy.