17 Signs To Know If You Work With Diva ADHD Assessment
DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured, structured interview that was developed to enhance ADHD assessments in adults. This study is aimed at assessing the criterion valid of DIVA 2.0 and 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 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 take a holistic approach by examining how symptoms affect every aspect of our lives. Dr Schilling will begin by assessing your symptoms and medical history. She will then conduct an DIVA 5 assessment. This is a semi-structured, interview that examines both the primary symptoms and the impact of ADD/ADHD 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 demonstrated to have sound sensitivity and specificity. It is highly effective at identifying those who have the disorder. It is able to raise awareness of, and diagnose, adult ADHD in Korea since it is the only validated semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults with ADHD available in the country.
To conduct the DIVA A trained professional usually a psychiatrist or psychologist - will inquire about the primary symptoms of ADHD, including inattention, hyperactivity, and an impulsive nature. The clinician will also look at the history of the individual, including their childhood experiences and their influence on their behavior. The symptoms of ADHD are not sudden. They develop over a period of time from childhood to teenage years and then into adulthood.
The DIVA can effectively identify people suffering from ADHD by taking into account both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in childhood and adulthood, and how those symptoms have affected the individual's daily functioning in five different areas of life - education and work, family/partnership relations, social activities/leisure time, and self-esteem and confidence in oneself. In comparison, other screening tools like the WURS-brief which was compared to the CAADID which showed poor sensitivity and negative predictive values.
To determine the presence of ADHD in adults it is crucial to assess the signs and symptoms along with their background. This can be done by conducting a thorough interview about childhood symptoms and a neurocognitive assessment. It is important to consider the impact that the symptoms have on the individual's job and daily life. This can be evaluated using a structured clinical interview, called the DIVA and, in certain instances, asking for information from family members and friends.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured, structured interview that was originally developed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been revised for use with adult patients in other countries including Korea. This study examined the criterion valid of the Korean version (DIVA-5) using an actual clinical sample of patients with ADHD.
During the DIVA the doctor asks about the presence of ADHD symptoms in childhood and into adulthood, the age at which the symptoms onset, and the extent of impairment resulting from these symptoms. The clinician will also collect a variety of sociodemographic information and ask about any psychiatric co-morbidity.
The MINI-S as well as 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. Two psychiatrists who are experienced employed the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 in order to determine a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. They assessed 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 with the WURS scale, and fair validity when compared to three self-report ratings instruments which include 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 to the accuracy of a diagnosis established by two expert psychiatrists. This was in line with the sensitivity as well as specificity of earlier screening tools such as ASRS and WURS.
Treatment
Undiagnosed ADHD can have a significant impact on your life. It can impact your relationships, academic performance and work. It can also impact how you organize your daily life. A diagnosis can help identify your strengths and weaknesses and provide treatment options to alleviate your symptoms and coping mechanism.
A qualified clinician (typically a psychiatrist or a psychologist) will conduct a structured conversation with you using the DIVA-5 tool to evaluate your current symptoms. This will include asking standard questions regarding your levels of inattention, hyperactivity and an impulsiveness. It will also explore your personal history, including your childhood experiences, to gain a complete understanding of your symptoms and the impact they have on your life.
This method is crucial for a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. It also helps us understand the root causes of your symptoms, which will help inform your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is an extremely efficient method of diagnosing adults with ADHD and has excellent sensitivity and specificity. It has also been shown to have sound criterion validity when compared with self-report scales for rating such as the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concordance validity with these scales, and has good validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
Contrary to the more conventional methods used to assess ADHD in adults, the DIVA assessment is focused on identifying and discussing the symptoms that are present in both the teen years and into adulthood, increasing the accuracy of the diagnosis and allowing a more accurate comparison between sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups. The DIVA evaluation also offers an opportunity to think about the effects of co-occurring conditions on the appearance of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist does not recommend medication, you may need to make an appointment with a Psychiatrist or a Paediatrician to discuss further assessment and/or treatment. They can then refer you to an expert Psychologist for more thorough evaluation of your symptoms and to look for co-occurring diagnoses and differentials. This includes assessing for comorbid disorders like anxiety and depression. This will help your Psychologist determine the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
Getting diagnosed with ADHD can be life-changing and provide explanations for lingering difficulties and opening doors to effective treatment options. However, a good evaluation requires the expertise of qualified healthcare experts. 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 detects patterns of behavior that persist of behavior and differentiates between ADHD symptoms and those of other disorders that can exhibit similar symptoms in adults, such as anxiety or depression.
In the course of a DIVA ADHD evaluation, a clinician will use an organized interview to ask a series of questions about symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsiveness. The doctor evaluates the severity, frequency and duration of these symptoms in order to understand how they impact the person's life and performance in a variety of settings. This information is then used to develop an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment is validated in comparison with other diagnostic tools. It has high sensitivity when compared to WURS-briefs, CAA-DIDs and psychiatrist's assessments. It has also excellent validity for assessing ADHD in five areas of daily function such as education and work, relationships home and family, social contacts, and free time and hobby.
For an accurate DIVA assessment, the person being assessed and their family and friends must be present. This will help build trust and strengthen the therapeutic bond, which will be crucial to the success of your assessment.
A skilled psychologist or psychiatrist who is trained in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment can provide a comprehensive report. The report will detail the findings of the test and recommend a treatment program that is based on the evidence.
If you think you or someone you love might be suffering from ADHD If you suspect that someone you know may have ADHD, please call us to make an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and can perform an evaluation. She can then make a referral to a specialist to develop an effective treatment strategy. Be aware that the treatment plan recommended is a combination of medications and psychotherapy.