DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured, structured interview that was developed to enhance ADHD assessments for adults. This study aims to evaluate the criterion validity of 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.
Signs and symptoms
ADD/ADHD symptoms affect 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 perspective, looking at how symptoms impact all aspects of our lives. Dr. Schilling will begin by evaluating your symptoms and medical history. She will then take the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to evaluate the main symptoms of ADD/ADHD, and how they have affected your life.
The DIVA is a diagnostic interview tool created by psychologists and psychiatrists to evaluate adult ADHD symptoms. It has been proven to have sound sensitivity and specificity. It is also highly efficient in identifying people suffering from the disorder. It can help raise awareness and help diagnose adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semistructured diagnostic test available in the country.
In order to conduct the DIVA the trained clinician - often psychologist or psychiatrist will inquire about the primary symptoms of ADHD, including inattention, hyperactivity, and the tendency to be impulsive. The doctor will also examine the background of the person, including their childhood experiences as well as their influence on their behavior. The symptoms of ADHD do not appear suddenly. They develop over a period of time, from childhood to teen years and then into adulthood.
The DIVA can effectively detect those 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 different areas of life: education and work, family/partnership relations social activities/leisure time and self-esteem and self-confidence. Other screening tools, for instance the WURS brief that was compared to the CAADID showed poor sensitivity, and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
In order to determine the presence of ADHD in adults, it is essential to evaluate the symptoms and their history. This can be accomplished through an extensive interview about childhood symptoms and a neurological examination. It is also crucial to consider the effects of the symptoms on the person's life and work. This can be evaluated using a structured clinical interview, called the DIVA and, in certain cases, obtaining information from family members and friends.
The DIVA is an interview with a semi-structured format that was initially developed to be used with adults in the Netherlands. It has been updated to be used with adult patients in other countries including Korea. adhd assessment liverpool examined the criterion valid of the Korean version (DIVA-5), in a clinical sample consisting of adults suffering from ADHD.
During the DIVA the clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms during childhood and adulthood. They will also inquire about the age at which they first noticed symptoms and the level of impairment triggered by these symptoms. The doctor also collects a variety of sociodemographic information and inquires about any psychosis-related co-morbidity.
MINI-S and Version 5.0.0 and the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impaired Screening Instrument (BEARNI) along with the Frontal Assessment Battery were used to screen for psychiatric co-morbidity. A clinical diagnosis of ADHD was established by two experienced psychiatrists who used the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to evaluate symptoms in both the early years and in childhood, and determine the duration of those 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 diagnosing ADHD with the DIVA-5 was found to be comparable to the accuracy of a clinical diagnosis formulated by two renowned psychiatrists. This was in accordance with the sensitivity and specificity of previous screening tools, such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
If you are not diagnosed with ADHD, it can significantly affect your life. It can impact your relationships, academic performance as well as your work. It can also impact the way you manage your day-to-day activities. A diagnosis can help you determine your strengths and weaknesses, and also offer treatment options to improve your symptoms and cope mechanisms.
A licensed clinician, usually psychologist or psychiatrist will conduct a structured discussion with you about your current symptoms using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. This will involve regular questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. It will also look into your personal history, including childhood experiences to give you a complete picture of the symptoms you are experiencing.
This method is crucial to a complete adult ADHD diagnosis. This will help us better understand your symptoms and inform your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is an extremely efficient method of diagnosing adult ADHD with high 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 a good concordance with these scales, and has good validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA assessment, in contrast to the more conventional methods of testing ADHD in adulthood, focuses on identifying the symptoms that occur during childhood and adults. This improves the accuracy of diagnosis and allows for a more precise comparison of sociodemographic traits between the two groups. The DIVA assessment also permits consideration of the impact of coexisting disorders on the presentation and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is not able to prescribe treatment, it might be necessary to set up an appointment with a pediatrician or Psychiatrist for further assessment and/or therapy. You can be referred to psychologists who specialize in more thorough evaluation of your symptoms and to determine if there are co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing any comorbid conditions, like anxiety or depression. This will help your Psychologist determine the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can change your life. It offers solutions to persistent problems and opens the door to effective treatment options. However, a reliable assessment requires the expertise of qualified medical experts. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a well-structured and comprehensive tool, can help to improve adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by analyzing symptoms at different life stages. It also helps identify patterns of behavior, and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and those of other conditions that may present similar symptoms in adults, like depression or anxiety.
In an DIVA ADHD evaluation, a clinician will use an organized interview to ask a series of questions regarding symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The clinician evaluates the frequency, severity and duration of these symptoms in order to understand how they impact an person's life and performance in various settings. This information can then be utilized to establish a precise diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been verified against other diagnostic tools and exhibits high sensitivity when compared with the WURS-brief and CAA-DID as well as a psychiatrist's assessment. It also has a high degree of validity in it comes to assessing ADHD in five areas of daily functioning that include education and work relationships, home and family, social contacts, and free time and hobby.
A well-validated DIVA assessment requires participation from the person being evaluated and their close family members and close friends. This will help build trust and a therapeutic bond that will be essential for the success of the assessment.
A qualified psychologist or psychiatrist who is skilled in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment can provide a detailed report. The report will detail the findings of the assessment and recommend a treatment program based on the evidence.
Please contact us to set up an appointment if you or someone you love may be suffering from ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and is able to provide an evaluation. She can then make a referral to a specialist to develop an effective treatment strategy. Be aware that the recommended treatment approach is a combination of medications and psychotherapy.