DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is an interview with a semistructured format that was developed to improve ADHD assessment in adults. This study will evaluate the validity of the criterion used in 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.
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of ADD/ADHD affect all aspects of life, from relationships and career progression to the everyday tasks that make up our lives. That's why it is so important that our ADHD assessments adopt a holistic approach and look at how the symptoms affect every aspect of life. 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 evaluate the main symptoms of ADD/ADHD as well as how they have affected your life.
The DIVA is an interview tool developed by psychotherapists and psychiatrists to evaluate the symptoms of adult ADHD. It has been shown to have a high sensitivity to sound and specificity. It is also extremely effective in identifying those with the disorder. It is able to increase awareness and the diagnosis of the condition of adult ADHD in Korea, as it is the only validated semi-structured diagnostic test for adults suffering from ADHD available in the country.
To perform the DIVA, a trained clinician usually psychologists or psychiatrists will ask questions about the main symptoms of ADHD which include hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. The psychologist will also look into the person's past and examine their childhood experiences and how those may influence their present behavior. This is because the signs of ADHD do not just appear suddenly, they develop through the teenage years, and even into adulthood.
The DIVA can effectively detect those suffering from ADHD, as it takes into account both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD during childhood and into adulthood, and how those symptoms have affected an individual's daily functioning in five different areas of life - education work, family/partner relationships, family social activities/leisure time and self-esteem and confidence in oneself. As a contrast, other screening tools such as the WURS-brief which was compared to the CAADID and showed low accuracy and negative predictive values.
sites
To determine ADHD in adults it is crucial to assess the symptoms as well as their history. This can be accomplished through conducting a thorough interview about childhood symptoms as well as an assessment of neurocognitive capacity. It is crucial to think about the impact these symptoms have on the individual's job and daily life. This can be assessed by 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 initially designed for use with adults in the Netherlands. It has been refined for use in other countries including Korea. This study looked at the criteria applicable to the Korean version (DIVA-5), in an actual clinical sample of adults suffering from ADHD.
During the DIVA the doctor will inquire about ADHD symptoms during the early years of life and into adulthood. They will also ask the age at which symptoms first started to manifest symptoms and the degree of impairment caused by these symptoms. The clinician will also collect various sociodemographic data and inquire about any psychiatric co-morbidities.
The 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 determine if a psychiatric co-morbidity existed. Two psychiatrists with experience employed the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to determine a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. They evaluated symptoms throughout adulthood and 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 to the WURS scale and has fair validity when compared with three self-report ratings instruments: 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 with the accuracy of a clinical diagnosis established by two expert psychiatrists. This was in agreement with the specificity and sensitivity of earlier screening tools such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
Undiagnosed ADHD can have a major impact on your daily life. This can affect your relationships, academic progress, and work. It can also affect how you organize your day-to-day activities. A diagnosis can help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and also provide solutions to improve your symptoms and coping mechanisms.
A qualified clinician, typically a psychiatrist or psychologist, will conduct a structured discussion with you regarding your current symptoms using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. This will include asking standard questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. It will also delve into your personal history, including childhood experiences, in order to get a full picture of your symptoms and their impacts on your life.
This method is essential to a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. This allows us to better comprehend your symptoms and guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment can be used to diagnose adult ADHD with high sensitivity and specificity. It has also been proven to have good criterion valid when compared to self-report scales like the Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has a good concordance with these scales, and has good validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
Unlike the more traditional methods of assessing ADHD in adults, the DIVA evaluation focuses on identifying and discussing the symptoms that are present in both childhood and adulthood, thereby increasing the accuracy of diagnosis and allowing for an accurate comparison between sociodemographic traits of the two groups. The DIVA evaluation also provides an opportunity to consider the impact of co-occurring conditions on the presentation of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is unable to prescribe medication, it may be necessary to set up an appointment with a Pediatrician or Psychiatrist for further assessment and/or therapy. You can be referred to a specialist psychologist for a thorough assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there is any co-occurring or different diagnoses. This includes assessing for co-occurring conditions such as anxiety and depression. This will help your Psychologist determine the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
Being diagnosed with ADHD can be life-changing providing explanations for long-standing problems and opening the door to effective treatment options. However, a reliable assessment requires the expertise of experienced medical experts. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a structured and extensive tool, helps to improve the adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by analyzing symptoms at different life stages. It also detects patterns of behavior that persist of behavior, and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and other conditions that can exhibit similar symptoms for adults, such as depression or anxiety.
In the course of a DIVA ADHD evaluation, a doctor will conduct a structured interview in order to ask a series of questions regarding symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The doctor evaluates the frequency, severity and duration of these symptoms to understand how they impact on the individual's life and functioning in several environments. This information is then used to create an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been verified against other diagnostic tools and has shown high sensitivity when compared with the WURS-brief, CAA-DID and a psychiatrist's assessment. It also has excellent reliability when conducting an assessment of ADHD in five areas of daily function that include education and work relationships, home and family social interactions, leisure time and hobbies.
To be able to conduct a valid DIVA assessment, the person being assessed and their family members and friends must be present. This helps to establish trust and a therapeutic bond that will be crucial to the success of the assessment.
A psychiatrist or psychologist with expertise in the DIVA ADHD assessment can give an extensive professional report. This report will present the findings of the test and provide a treatment strategy that is based upon evidence.
Contact us to make an appointment if you or someone you know might have ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and is able to provide an evaluation. She can then make an appointment with a specialist to create an effective treatment strategy. Please be aware that an amalgamation of psychotherapy and medication is the best treatment.