DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is an interview that is semistructured designed to enhance ADHD assessment for adults. This study is aimed at assessing the validity of the criterion used to determine DIVA 2.0 as well as its concurrent validity compared to 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.
Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD can affect all aspects of life, from relationships and career progression to the everyday tasks that are part of our lives. This is why it's crucial that our ADHD assessments are holistic by examining how symptoms affect every aspect of life. In your assessment, Dr. Schilling will start by gathering information about your symptoms and health history. She will then conduct the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview that is designed to assess the main symptoms of ADD/ADHD as well as how they have affected your life.
The DIVA is an instrument for diagnostic interviews created by psychologists and psychiatrists to evaluate adult ADHD symptoms. It has been found to be extremely sensitive and precise. It is highly effective at identifying those who have the disorder. It is able to increase awareness of, and diagnosis of, adult ADHD in Korea, as it is the only validated semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults with ADHD available in the country.
A qualified clinician, typically psychiatrists, will inquire about the most prominent symptoms of ADHD. These include hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. The clinician will also delve into the person's past, looking at their childhood experiences and how those may have influenced their behavior. The symptoms of ADHD do not appear suddenly. They develop over a period of time from childhood through teen years and adulthood.
The DIVA is able to effectively detect those suffering from ADHD, as it takes into account both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in adulthood and childhood and how the symptoms have affected an individual's daily functioning in five areas of life: education, work, family/partner relations, social activities/leisure time, and self-esteem and confidence in oneself. 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 diagnose ADHD in adults, it is important to determine the severity of the signs and symptoms as well as their history. This can be done by an extensive interview regarding childhood symptoms as well as an assessment of the neurocognitive. It is also essential to look at the impact of the symptoms on the person's work and life. This can be determined using a structured interview, the DIVA and, in certain instances, obtaining information from family members and friends.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured interview originally designed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been updated for use with adult patients in other countries, including Korea. This study looked at the criteria valid of the Korean version (DIVA-5) in the clinical sample of adults suffering from ADHD.
During the DIVA the clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms in childhood and adulthood. They will also ask the age of onset of symptoms and the extent of impairment triggered by these symptoms. The clinician also collects a wide range of sociodemographic data and inquires about any psychiatric comorbidity.
Patients were assessed for psychiatric co-morbidity 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 diagnosis of clinical ADHD was established by two experienced psychiatrists who used the DIVA-5, a structured diagnostic interview, 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. The diagnostic tool was demonstrated to have good compatibility with the WURS scale, and fair concurrent validity with three self-report ratings instruments: the ASRS, FAB, 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 similar to that of a clinical diagnosis formulated by two renowned psychiatrists. This was in line with the sensitivity and specificity of earlier screening tools, like ASRS and WURS.
Treatment
Undiagnosed ADHD can have a significant impact on your daily life. This could be in a variety of areas, from relationships, work and academic progress to the basic tasks of organising daily living. A diagnosis can help you determine your strengths and weaknesses and offer treatment options to improve your symptoms and cope mechanisms.
A licensed clinician, usually psychologist or psychiatrist, will conduct an in-depth interview with you about your current symptoms using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. This will involve regular questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention and the tendency to be impulsive. It will also delve into your personal history, including your childhood experiences, to obtain a complete picture of your symptoms and their impact on your life.
This approach is crucial to ensure a thorough diagnosis of adult ADHD. It also allows us to determine the root of your symptoms, which can help guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment can be used to identify adult ADHD with high specificity and sensitivity. It has also been shown to have good criterion valid when compared with self-report scales such as Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrent validity these scales, and reasonable validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA evaluation, in contrast to the more conventional methods of measuring ADHD in adulthood it focuses on identifying signs that manifest in the teen years and in adulthood. This improves the accuracy of diagnoses and allows for a more precise comparison of the sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups. The DIVA evaluation also offers an opportunity to look at the effect of co-occurring conditions on the manifestation of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist does not recommend medication, you may need to make an appointment with a psychiatrist or Paediatrician for further assessment and/or treatment. You may be referred to psychologists who specialize in thorough assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there are co-occurring or different diagnoses. This includes assessing co-occurring conditions, such as depression or anxiety. This will allow your Psychologist to recommend an appropriate treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can alter your life. It can provide answers to long-standing problems and opens the way to effective treatment options. However, a good evaluation requires the expertise of experienced healthcare professionals. book adhd assessment uk , a structured and comprehensive tool, can help to improve the adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by analyzing symptoms at different life stages. It also detects patterns of behavior that are persistent and assists in determining the difference between ADHD symptoms and other disorders, such as depression or anxiety.
In an DIVA ADHD evaluation, a doctor will conduct an organized interview to ask a series questions about symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention and the tendency to be impulsive. The clinician evaluates the intensity, frequency and duration of symptoms to determine how they affect an person in various settings. This information can be used to determine an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been verified against other diagnostic tools and exhibits high sensitivity in comparison to the WURS-brief, CAA-DID and an assessment by a psychiatrist. It has also excellent validity in conducting an assessment of ADHD in five areas of daily function that include education and work relationships with family and home social connections, free time and hobbies.
A well-validated DIVA assessment requires the participation of the person being evaluated as well as their close family members and friends. This will help build trust and strengthen the therapeutic connection, which is essential to the success of your evaluation.
A psychologist or psychiatrist with experience with the DIVA ADHD assessment can write an extensive, professional report. The report will detail the findings of the test and recommend a treatment plan that is based on evidence.
Contact us to make an appointment if you suspect you or someone you love may be suffering from ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and can perform an evaluation. She will then make an appointment with specialists to design an effective treatment strategy. Please be aware that the recommended treatment approach is a combination of medications and psychotherapy.