DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured, structured interview that was 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
Symptoms of ADD/ADHD affect all aspects of life from relationships and career progression to the everyday tasks that make up our lives. It is crucial that our ADHD assessment is a holistic view, examining how symptoms impact all aspects of our lives. During your assessment, Dr Schilling will begin by collecting information about your symptoms and health background. She will then take the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to examine the primary symptoms of ADD/ADHD, and how those symptoms have impacted your life.
The DIVA is an interview tool for diagnosing ADHD. It was created by psychologists and psychiatrists to assess adult ADHD symptoms. It has been demonstrated to have a high sensitivity to sound and a high degree of specificity. It is extremely effective in identifying those who have the disorder. It can increase awareness and help diagnose adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semistructured diagnostic interview available in the country.
To conduct the DIVA, a trained clinician usually a psychiatrist or psychologist - will ask questions about the main symptoms of ADHD which include hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. The clinician will also delve into the background of the individual by looking at their early experiences and how those may have influenced their behavior. This is because the symptoms of ADHD don't just emerge suddenly, they develop throughout one's childhood, teen years, and through adulthood.
The DIVA is able to effectively identify those with ADHD by taking into account both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in adulthood and childhood and how the symptoms have impacted the individual's daily functioning in five different areas of life: education work, family/partner relationships, family and leisure time/social activities, and self-esteem and confidence in oneself. Other screening tools, for instance the WURS brief that was compared with the CAADID revealed low sensitivity and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
To determine the presence of ADHD in adults it is important that you evaluate the symptoms and their background. This can be done through a comprehensive interview on childhood symptoms and an assessment of the neurological. It is also essential to look at the effects of the symptoms on the person's life and work. This can be evaluated through a structured medical interview, called the DIVA and, in certain instances, asking for information from family members and friends.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured interview originally designed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been re-edited for use in other countries including Korea. This study examined the criterion valid of the Korean version (DIVA-5) in an actual clinical sample of adults with ADHD.
During the DIVA the doctor will inquire about ADHD symptoms during childhood and adulthood. They will also ask the age at which they first noticed symptoms and the extent of impairment caused by these symptoms. The clinician will also collect a variety of sociodemographic information and ask about any psychiatric-related 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) as well as the Frontal Assessment Battery were used to detect psychiatric co-morbidity. A clinical diagnosis of ADHD was made by two experienced psychiatrists who used the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to assess symptoms in both adulthood and childhood and determine the duration of these 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 found to have good concurrent validity with the WURS scale, and 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 DIVA-5's diagnostic accuracy was found to be comparable to that of a clinical diagnosis made by two psychiatrists. This was in line with the sensitivity and specificity of earlier screening tools such ASRS and WURS.
Treatment
If you are not diagnosed with ADHD it could significantly affect your life. This can affect your relationships, academic performance as well as your work. It can also impact the way you organize your day-to-day life. A diagnosis can help you determine your strengths and weaknesses, and also provide treatment options to alleviate your symptoms and coping mechanism.
A qualified clinician, typically psychologist or psychiatrist, will conduct a structured interview with you about your symptoms currently using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. It will include standardised 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 your symptoms.
This method is crucial to a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. It also allows us to identify the root cause of your symptoms, which helps inform your treatment.
The DIVA assessment can be used to identify adult ADHD with high specificity and sensitivity. It has also been shown 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 good concurrent validity with these scales, and reasonable validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
Contrary to the more conventional methods of assessing ADHD in adults, the DIVA assessment is focused on identifying and discussing symptoms that occur both during the teen years and into adulthood, increasing the accuracy of the diagnosis and allowing an accurate comparison between sociodemographic traits of the two groups. The DIVA assessment also allows for consideration of the effects of coexisting disorders on symptoms and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist does not prescribe medication, you might need to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist or a Paediatrician to discuss further assessment and/or treatment. You can be referred an expert psychologist for a more in-depth assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there are co-occurring or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing for comorbid conditions such as anxiety and depression. This will enable your Psychologist an appropriate treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can transform your life. It provides answers to persistent problems and opens the door to effective treatment options. However, a good evaluation requires the expertise of experienced healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a standardized and comprehensive tool that helps to improve the accuracy of adult ADHD diagnosis by assessing symptoms across various life stages. It also detects patterns of behavior that persist of behavior and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and those of other disorders that may present similar symptoms in adults, such as depression or anxiety.
In a DIVA ADHD assessment, a doctor conducts an interview to ask several questions regarding symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The doctor evaluates the severity, frequency and duration of symptoms to determine how they affect an person in various settings. This information is then utilized to establish a precise diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been validated against other diagnostic tools and has shown high sensitivity when compared to the WURS-brief, CAA-DID and a psychiatrist's assessment. It also has a high degree of accuracy when it comes to assessing ADHD symptoms in five areas of daily functioning: education and work; relationships; family and home social contact; leisure time and hobbies.
A valid DIVA assessment requires the participation of the individual being assessed as well as their closest family members and friends. This helps to establish trust and a therapeutic bond which is crucial to the success of the evaluation.
A skilled psychiatrist or psychologist who is certified in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment will be able to provide a comprehensive report. The report will detail the results of the assessment and suggest a treatment plan that is based on the evidence.
If you suspect that you or a loved one may be suffering from ADHD If you suspect that someone you know may have ADHD, please call us for an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling has been trained in the use of DIVA ADHD assessments and is able to give a thorough assessment. She will then make a referral to a specialist to create an effective treatment plan. Please be aware that the combination of medication and psychotherapy is the best treatment.