It's The Next Big Thing In 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 aims to evaluate 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.
Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD can affect all aspects of life including relationships and career advancement 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 evaluation, Dr. Schilling will begin by obtaining information about your symptoms and health history. She will then take the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to evaluate the main symptoms of ADD/ADHD, and how they have affected your life.
The DIVA is an interview tool for diagnosing ADHD. It was developed by psychiatrists and psychologists to evaluate adult ADHD symptoms. It has been shown to have high sensitivity and specificity. It is also extremely efficient in identifying people suffering from the disorder. It is able to raise awareness and help diagnose adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semistructured diagnostic test available in the country.
A trained clinician, usually psychiatrists will ask questions to determine the most prominent symptoms of ADHD. These include inattention, hyperactivity and an impulsive nature. The clinician will also delve into the background of the individual and examine their childhood experiences and how they could have influenced their behavior. This is because the symptoms of ADHD aren't something that just happens to appear in a flash, they manifest through the teenage years, and even into adulthood.
The DIVA is able to effectively detect those suffering from ADHD by taking into account both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in childhood and adulthood and how these symptoms have affected an person's daily functioning in five areas of life - education, work, family/partner relations and leisure time/social activities, and self-esteem and confidence in oneself. Other screening tools, for instance the WURS brief that was compared to the CAADID revealed low sensitivity and negative predictive value.
In order to diagnose ADHD in adults, it is essential to assess the symptoms and their causes. This can be accomplished through an extensive interview about childhood symptoms as well as a neurological examination. how to get an adhd assessment is crucial to think about the impact that the symptoms can have on a person's job and daily life. This can be assessed through a structured medical interview, also known as the DIVA and, in some instances, asking for information from friends and family members.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured, structured interview that was originally developed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been revised to be used with adult patients in other countries as well, including Korea. This study examined the criterion valid of the Korean version (DIVA-5), in an actual clinical sample of adults suffering from ADHD.
During the DIVA the clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms during the early years and in adulthood. They will also inquire about the age at which symptoms first started to manifest symptoms and the degree of impairment triggered by these symptoms. The clinician will also gather a variety of sociodemographic information and inquire about any psychiatric co-morbidities.
Patients were assessed for psychiatric co-morbidity using the MINI-S plus version 5.0.0 as well as the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impairment Screening Instrument (BEARNI), and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). A diagnosis of clinical ADHD was determined by two psychiatrists with years of experience who utilized the DIVA-5 structured diagnostic interview to evaluate 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 concordance with the WURS scale, and fair concurrent validity with three self-report rating 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 the DIVA-5's diagnostics was found to be similar to the accuracy of clinical diagnoses that were made by two psychiatrists. This was in accordance 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 your relationships, academic and work progress to the basic tasks of organising your day-to-day life. A diagnosis can help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses as well as provide solutions to help you manage your symptoms and mechanisms.
A trained professional (typically psychiatrists or psychologist) will have a structured discussion with you using the DIVA-5 instrument to assess your current symptoms. This will include asking standard questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsiveness. 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 approach is crucial to ensure a thorough diagnosis of adult ADHD. It also helps us determine the root of your symptoms, which can help inform your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is a highly efficient method of diagnosing adults with ADHD and has high sensitivity and precision. It has also been shown to have good criterion valid when compared with self-report scales, such as the Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrent validity these scales and has fair validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The DIVA evaluation, unlike traditional methods for testing ADHD in adulthood, focuses on identifying symptoms that occur during the teen years and in adulthood. This improves the accuracy of the diagnoses and allows for a more accurate comparison of sociodemographic traits between the two groups. The DIVA assessment can also be used to assess the impact of coexisting disorders on symptoms and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist is unable to recommend medication, you may need to make an appointment with a psychiatrist or a paediatrician for a more thorough assessment and/or treatment. You can be referred to an expert psychologist for a thorough assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there are any co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing comorbid disorders, such as anxiety or depression. This will enable your Psychologist suggest a suitable treatment plan.
Getting Started
Being diagnosed with ADHD can be life-changing providing explanations for long-standing difficulties and opening doors to effective treatment options. A good evaluation does require the expertise of trained healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a structured and comprehensive tool that can help to improve the accuracy of an adult ADHD diagnosis by assessing symptoms across various life stages. It also identifies persistent patterns of behavior and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and those of other conditions that may present similar symptoms for adults, such as depression or anxiety.
In an DIVA ADHD evaluation, a practitioner will conduct an organized interview to ask a series questions about symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. The doctor evaluates the frequency, severity and duration of these symptoms in order to understand how they impact the individual's life and how they function in a variety of settings. This information is then utilized to establish a precise diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been validated in comparison with other diagnostic tools. It has a high sensitivity in comparison to CAA-DIDs, WURS-briefs and psychiatrist's tests. It also has excellent reliability in it comes to assessing ADHD in five areas of daily function: work and education, relationships home and family social connections, free time and hobby.
A valid DIVA assessment requires the participation of the person being evaluated as well as their close family members and their friends. This helps to establish trust and strengthen the therapeutic bond that is important for the success of the assessment.
A psychologist or psychiatrist with expertise in the DIVA ADHD assessment can give a detailed professional report. This report will present the results of the assessment and provide a treatment strategy that is based on evidence.
If you think you or someone you love may 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 has been trained in the use of DIVA ADHD assessments and can provide a thorough evaluation. She will then make a referral to specialists to design an effective treatment strategy. Be aware that an amalgamation of medication and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment.