DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured interview designed to enhance ADHD assessments in adults. This study is designed to assess the criterion validity of 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
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD impact every aspect of our lives, from relationships and career progression to the everyday activities that comprise our lives. It is important that our ADHD assessment takes a holistic approach, looking at how the symptoms affect all aspects of life. During your assessment, Dr Schilling will start by gathering details of your symptoms and health history. She will then take the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to evaluate the primary symptoms of ADD/ADHD, and the impact these symptoms have had on 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 shown to have sound sensitivity and a high degree of specificity. It is highly effective at identifying people suffering from the disorder. It is able to increase awareness and the diagnosis of, adult ADHD in Korea, as it is the only validated semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults with ADHD available in the country.
To conduct the DIVA, a trained clinician typically a psychiatrist or psychologist - will ask questions about the main symptoms of ADHD such as inattention, hyperactivity, and an impulsive nature. The doctor will also examine the background of the person, including their childhood experiences as well as their impact on their present behavior. The symptoms of ADHD are not sudden. They develop over a period of time from childhood through teen years and then into adulthood.
The DIVA can efficiently identify those with ADHD, as it takes into account both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in childhood and adulthood, and how those symptoms have affected an person's daily functioning in five areas of life - education and work, family/partnership relations, social activities/leisure time, and self-esteem and confidence in oneself. Other screening tools, like the WURS brief that was compared to the CAADID showed poor sensitivity, and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
To determine ADHD in adults it is important that you evaluate the symptoms and their history. This can be done through an extensive interview regarding childhood symptoms and a neurological assessment. It is also crucial to look at the effects of the symptoms the person's work and life. This can be determined using a structured clinical interview, called the DIVA and, in some cases, 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 to be used with adult patients in other countries, including Korea. This study evaluated the validity of the criterion used to determine the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in a clinical sample of adults with ADHD.
During the DIVA the doctor will inquire about ADHD symptoms in the early years of life and into adulthood. They will also inquire about the age at which symptoms first started to manifest symptoms and the extent of impairment triggered by these symptoms. The clinician will also gather a variety of sociodemographic information and ask about any psychiatric co-morbidity.
The MINI-S plus Version 5.0.0 The MINI-S plus 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. Two psychiatrists who are experienced employed the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to establish a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. They evaluated symptoms in adulthood as well as 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 to 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 the DIVA-5's diagnosis was found to be similar to the accuracy of a clinical diagnoses made by two psychiatrists. This was in line with the sensitivity as well as specificity of earlier screening tools like ASRS and WURS.
Treatment
If you have an undiagnosed ADHD it could significantly impact your life. It can impact your relationships, academic progress as well as your work. It can also affect the way you manage your day-to-day life. A diagnosis can help you determine your strengths and weaknesses, as well as provide treatment options that help you manage your symptoms and mechanisms.
A qualified clinician, typically psychologist or psychiatrist will conduct a structured discussion with you regarding your symptoms currently using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. This will include asking standard questions about your levels inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. It will also explore your personal history, including your childhood experiences, to gain a complete understanding of your symptoms and their impacts on your life.
This method is essential for a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. It also allows us to determine the root of your symptoms, which helps inform your treatment.
The DIVA assessment can be used to determine adult ADHD with high specificity and sensitivity. It has also been shown to have good criterion valid when compared with self-report scales like the Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrent validity these scales, and good validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
In adhd assessment cost uk to the more conventional methods used to assess ADHD in adults, the DIVA test focuses on identifying and discussing symptoms that occur both during childhood and in adulthood, thus increasing the accuracy of diagnosis and allowing an easier comparison of the sociodemographic characteristics of both groups. The DIVA assessment also permits consideration of the effects of co-existing disorders on the manifestation and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is not able to recommend medication, it could be necessary to make an appointment with a Paediatrician or Psychiatrist for further assessment and/or therapy. They can then refer you to a specialist Psychologist for further in-depth evaluation of your symptoms, and to determine if there are any co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing comorbid conditions, like anxiety or depression. This will enable your Psychologist the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can alter your life. It can provide answers to persistent problems and opens the way to effective treatment options. However, a reliable assessment requires the expertise of experienced medical professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a structured and comprehensive tool that helps to improve the accuracy of an adult ADHD diagnosis by assessing symptoms across different life stages. It also helps identify patterns of behavior, and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and those of other disorders which may have similar symptoms in adults, like anxiety or depression.
In a DIVA ADHD assessment, a doctor conducts an interview to ask a series of questions about symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention and the tendency to be impulsive. The doctor evaluates the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms to determine how they affect the person in various settings. This information can be used to create an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA test is confirmed in comparison to other diagnostic tools. It has a high sensitivity when compared to CAA-DIDs, WURS-briefs and psychiatrist's assessments. It has also excellent validity for assessing ADHD in five areas of daily functioning such as education and work, relationships home and family social connections, free time and hobbies.
To be able to conduct an authentic DIVA assessment, the individual being evaluated as well as their family and friends must be present. This will help build trust and create a strong therapeutic connection, which is essential to the success of your assessment.
A psychiatrist or psychologist with experience with the DIVA ADHD assessment can provide a detailed, professional report. This report will outline the findings of the assessment and recommend a treatment plan based on the evidence.
Please contact us to set up an appointment if you think you or someone you know might be suffering from ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling has been trained to use the DIVA ADHD assessments and can provide a comprehensive evaluation. She can refer you to a specialist who will develop an appropriate treatment strategy. Please be aware that the combination of medication and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment.