DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured, structured interview that has been developed to improve ADHD assessments for adults. This study aims to evaluate 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.
Symptoms
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD affect every aspect of our lives from relationships to advancement in our careers and the everyday tasks we have to perform. It is important that our ADHD assessment is a holistic perspective, looking at how symptoms affect all aspects of life. During your assessment, Dr Schilling will begin by obtaining information about your symptoms and health history. She will then take the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview that is designed to assess the primary symptoms of ADD/ADHD, and the impact these symptoms have had on your life.
The DIVA is an interview tool for diagnosing ADHD. It was developed by psychiatrists and psychologists to assess adult ADHD symptoms. It has been found to be extremely sensitive and precise. It is also highly effective in identifying individuals suffering from the disorder. It can help raise awareness and diagnose adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semistructured diagnosis interview available in the country.
A qualified clinician, typically a psychiatrist will ask questions to determine the most prominent symptoms of ADHD. These include hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsive nature. The psychologist will also look into the person's past, looking at their childhood experiences and how they could influence their present behavior. The symptoms of ADHD are not sudden. They appear over a long period of time from childhood through teen years and into adulthood.
The DIVA is able to effectively detect those suffering from ADHD because it takes into consideration both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in adulthood and childhood and how the symptoms have affected the individual's daily functioning in five areas of life: education and work, family/partnership relations and leisure time/social activities, and self-esteem and confidence in oneself. Contrary to this other screening tools, like the WURS-brief which was compared to CAADID and showed low sensitiveness and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
To diagnose ADHD in adults, it is important that you evaluate the symptoms and their background. This can be done with a comprehensive interview on childhood symptoms as well as a neurological assessment. It is also essential to consider the impact of the symptoms on the person's work and life. This can be determined conducting a structured interview the DIVA and, in certain instances, obtaining information from relatives and friends.
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 for use in other countries, including Korea. This study evaluated 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 during the early years and in adulthood. They will also inquire about the age at which they first noticed symptoms and the extent of impairment triggered by these symptoms. The clinician also collects diverse set of sociodemographic data and asks about any psychiatric co-morbidity.
MINI-S plus Version 5.0.0 The MINI-S plus Version 5.0.0, the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impaired Screening Instrument (BEARNI), and the Frontal Assessment Battery were used to detect psychiatric co-morbidity. Two experienced psychiatrists used the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to establish a diagnosis of ADHD. They evaluated symptoms in adulthood as well as 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 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 accuracy of diagnosis of the DIVA-5 was found to be similar to the accuracy of a diagnosis formulated by two renowned psychiatrists. This was in line with the sensitivity as well as specificity of earlier screening tools, such ASRS and WURS.
adhd assessment women
If you are not diagnosed with ADHD it could significantly impact your life. This can affect your relationships, academic progress and work. It can also affect the way you manage your day-to-day life. A diagnosis can help identify your strengths and weaknesses, and offer treatment options to improve your symptoms and cope mechanisms.
A qualified clinician, typically a psychiatrist or psychologist, will conduct an in-depth interview with you about your symptoms currently using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. This will include asking standard questions regarding your levels of hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. It will also examine your personal history including childhood experiences to give you an accurate picture of your symptoms.
This approach is essential for a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. It also allows us to understand the root causes of your symptoms, which helps guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment can be used to identify adult ADHD with high specificity and sensitivity. It has also been demonstrated to be reliable in determining the validity of 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 fair validity with Sheehan’s Dysfunction Inventory.
Unlike the more traditional methods used to assess ADHD in adults, the DIVA evaluation focuses on identifying and discussing the symptoms that can be observed in childhood and adulthood, thereby increasing the accuracy of the diagnosis and allowing for a more accurate comparison between the sociodemographic characteristics of both groups. The DIVA evaluation also offers an opportunity to think about the effects of co-occurring conditions on the manifestation of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist does not prescribe medication, you might need to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist or Paediatrician for further evaluation and/or treatment. They will then refer you to an expert Psychologist for more in-depth evaluation of your symptoms, and to look for differential or co-occurring diagnoses. This includes assessing for comorbid conditions like anxiety and depression. This will allow your Psychologist to determine the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can alter your life. It provides answers to persistent issues and opens the door to effective treatment options. A good evaluation does require the expertise of trained healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a structured and comprehensive tool that helps to improve the accuracy of an adult ADHD diagnosis by evaluating symptoms across different life stages. It also identifies persistent patterns of behavior, and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and those of other conditions that may present similar symptoms in adults, such as depression or anxiety.
In an DIVA ADHD assessment, a clinician conducts a structured interview to ask a series of questions about symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The doctor evaluates the severity, frequency and duration of symptoms to determine how they affect an person in various situations. This information can be used to create an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been validated against other diagnostic tools and has shown high sensitivity when compared with the WURS-brief, CAA-DID and the assessment of a psychiatrist. It also has a high degree of validity when conducting an assessment of ADHD in five areas of daily function such as education and work, relationships with family and home social connections, free time and hobby.
For a valid DIVA assessment, the person being evaluated, their family and friends must be present. This will help build trust and a therapeutic bond that will be important to the success of the assessment.
A psychologist or psychiatrist who has expertise in the DIVA ADHD assessment can give an in-depth professional report. The report will detail the findings of the test and suggest a treatment plan that is based on the evidence.
If you suspect that you or someone you love might have ADHD If you suspect that someone you know may have ADHD, please call us to make an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling has been trained to use the DIVA ADHD assessments and can provide a comprehensive evaluation. She will then make a referral to a specialist to create an effective treatment strategy. Be aware that the treatment plan recommended is a combination of medication and psychotherapy.