DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis

DIVA is a semistructured interview developed to enhance ADHD assessment for adults. This study is designed to assess the reliability of the criteria used to determine 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.

Symptoms

The symptoms of ADD/ADHD affect every aspect of our lives from relationships to career advancement and the daily tasks we perform. That's why it is so crucial that our ADHD assessments adopt a holistic approach, looking at how symptoms impact all areas of life. Dr Schilling will begin by evaluating your symptoms and medical history. She will then conduct the DIVA 5 assessment. This is a semi-structured, interview that examines both the primary symptoms and the impact of ADD/ADHD your life.

The DIVA is an interview tool for diagnosing ADHD. It was created by psychologists and psychiatrists to evaluate adult ADHD symptoms. It has been demonstrated to be highly sensitive and specific. It is also highly efficient in identifying people suffering from the disorder. website link has the potential to increase awareness and diagnosis of, adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semi-structured, semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults with ADHD available in the country.


A trained and experienced clinician, typically a psychiatrist, will ask questions to determine the primary symptoms of ADHD. These include hyperactivity, inattention, and an impulsive nature. The clinician will also analyze the history of the individual and their childhood experiences and their impact on their present 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 is able to effectively detect those suffering from ADHD, as it takes into consideration both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD during childhood and into adulthood and how the symptoms have affected an person's daily functioning in five different areas of life: education and work, family/partnership relations and leisure time/social activities, and self-esteem and self-confidence. Other screening tools, like the WURS brief, which was compared with the CAADID demonstrated low sensitivity and negative predictive value.

Diagnosis

To determine the presence of ADHD in adults, it is crucial to assess the symptoms and their history. This can be done with an extensive interview about childhood symptoms and a neurological assessment. getting assessed for adhd is crucial to think about the impact these symptoms have on the person's work and daily life. This can be determined by conducting a structured interview, also known as the DIVA and, in some instances, getting information from friends and family members.

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 revised to be used with adult patients in other countries including Korea. The study examined the criterion valid of the Korean version (DIVA-5), in an actual clinical sample of patients with ADHD.

During the DIVA The clinician will inquire about the presence of ADHD symptoms during childhood and into adulthood, the time at which the symptoms first manifest, as well as the severity of impairment resulting from those symptoms. The clinician will also collect various sociodemographic data and inquire about any psychiatric co-morbidities.

The MINI-S as well as 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. A diagnosis of clinical ADHD was made by two psychiatrists with experience who used the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to determine the severity of symptoms in childhood and adulthood, and to 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 was shown to have good concurrent validity with the WURS scale as well as fair concurrent validity with three self-report rating instruments: 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 comparable with that of a clinical diagnosis made by two experienced psychiatrists. This was in line both with the sensitivity and specificity of earlier screening tools, like ASRS and WURS.

Treatment

If you are not diagnosed with ADHD, it can significantly affect your life. This could be in a variety of areas from your relationships, academic and work progress to the simple tasks of organising your day-to-day life. A diagnosis can help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses as well as provide solutions to improve your symptoms and coping 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. It will ask you standard questions regarding your levels of hyperactivity, inattention, and an impulsiveness. It will also dig into your personal history, including childhood experiences to get the full picture of the symptoms you are experiencing.

This method is crucial for a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. It also helps us identify the root cause of your symptoms, which helps determine the best treatment for you.

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 scales like the Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concordance validity with these scales, and has reasonable validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.

Contrary to the more conventional methods for assessing ADHD in adults, the DIVA assessment is focused on identifying and discussing the symptoms that can be observed in the teen years and into adulthood, increasing the accuracy of diagnosis and allowing an easier comparison of sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups. The DIVA assessment can also be used to assess the effects of co-existing disorders on the manifestation and severity of ADHD symptoms.

If your Psychologist does not recommend medication, you may need to make an appointment with a psychiatrist or a paediatrician for a more thorough assessment and/or treatment. They can then refer you to an expert Psychologist for more in-depth analysis of your symptoms and to determine if there are any co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing for comorbid conditions such as depression and anxiety. This will enable your Psychologist to suggest the best treatment plan.

Getting Started

A diagnosis of ADHD can alter your life. It offers solutions to persistent problems and opens the way to effective treatment options. A thorough evaluation requires the expertise of trained healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a well-organized and comprehensive tool that helps to improve the accuracy of adult ADHD diagnosis by assessing symptoms across various life stages. It also helps identify patterns of behavior, and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and those of other disorders that may present similar symptoms for adults, such as anxiety or depression.

In the DIVA ADHD assessment, a clinician uses a structured interview to ask an array of questions about symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The doctor evaluates the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms to determine the extent to which they affect the person in various settings. This information can be used to make an accurate diagnosis.

The DIVA assessment has been verified against other diagnostic tools and has shown high sensitivity when compared to the WURS-brief, CAA DID and an assessment by a psychiatrist. It also has a high degree of validity for it comes to assessing ADHD in five areas of daily functioning: work and education, relationships home and family, social contacts, and leisure time and hobbies.

A well-validated DIVA assessment requires the participation of the person being evaluated and their close family members and their friends. This will help build trust and strengthen the therapeutic bond that will be essential to the success of the assessment.

A psychiatrist or psychologist with experience with the DIVA ADHD assessment can give a detailed, professional report. This report will present the findings of the test and recommend a treatment plan that is based on the data.

If you think you or someone you love might have ADHD If you suspect that someone you know may have ADHD, please call us for an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and is able to provide an assessment. She can refer you to an expert who will create an appropriate treatment plan. Please be aware that the recommended treatment approach is a combination of medications and psychotherapy.