DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is an interview with a semistructured format that was developed to enhance ADHD assessment in adults. This study is aimed at assessing the validity of the criteria used in DIVA 2.0 and its validity in conjunction with 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.
Symptoms
Symptoms of ADD/ADHD affect every area of life, from relationships and career advancement to the day-to-day tasks that are part of our lives. It is important that our ADHD assessment takes a holistic approach, looking at how the symptoms impact all aspects of life. Dr Schilling will begin by assessing your symptoms and medical history. She will then conduct the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to evaluate the main symptoms of ADD/ADHD and how those symptoms have impacted your life.
The DIVA is an interviewing tool developed by psychotherapists and psychiatrists to determine the signs of adult ADHD. It has been found to be highly sensitive and specific. It is also extremely efficient in identifying people suffering from the disorder. It can help raise awareness and help diagnose adult ADHD in Korea since it is the only validated semistructured diagnosis interview available in the country.
A qualified clinician, typically a psychiatrist, will inquire about the core symptoms of ADHD. These include hyperactivity, inattention and the tendency to be impulsive. The doctor will also dig into the individual's history and examine their childhood experiences and how those may influence their present behavior. This is because the symptoms of ADHD don't just emerge in a flash, they manifest through the teenage years, and even into adulthood.
The DIVA can effectively identify those with ADHD by taking into account both the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD in childhood and adulthood and how the symptoms have affected the person's daily functioning in five distinct areas of life: education and work, family/partnership relations and leisure time/social activities, and self-esteem and self-confidence. Contrary to this, other screening tools such as the WURS-brief which was compared to the CAADID, showed poor sensitiveness and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
To determine ADHD in adults it is essential to evaluate the signs and symptoms along with their background. This can be accomplished through an extensive interview regarding childhood symptoms and an assessment of neurocognitive capacity. It is essential to take into consideration the impact that these symptoms have on the individual's job and daily life. This can be determined by conducting a structured interview, called the DIVA and, in certain cases, obtaining information from family members and friends.
The DIVA is a semi-structured interview that was first developed for use with adults in the Netherlands. It has been revised to be used in other countries, including Korea. This study looked at the validity of the criterion used to determine the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in a clinical sample of adult patients with ADHD.
During the DIVA, the clinician asks about the presence of ADHD symptoms in childhood and adulthood, the time at which the symptoms begin to manifest, and the extent of impairment caused by those symptoms. The doctor will also collect various sociodemographic data and inquire about any psychiatric co-morbidities.
Patients were screened for psychiatric comorbidity using the MINI-S plus version 5.0.0, the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impairment Screening Instrument (BEARNI) and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). A diagnosis of clinical ADHD was determined by two experienced psychiatrists who utilized the DIVA-5 structured diagnostic interview to assess symptoms in both the early years and in 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. The diagnostic tool was demonstrated to have good compatibility with the WURS scale and fair concurrent validity with three self-report ratings 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 DIVA-5's diagnostic accuracy was found to be comparable to the accuracy of clinical diagnosis made by two psychiatrists. This was in line with the sensitivity and specificity of previous screening tools, such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
Undiagnosed ADHD can have a major impact on your life. This can affect your relationships, academic progress, and work. It can also affect the way you manage your daily life. A diagnosis can help identify your strengths and weaknesses and also offer treatment options to improve your symptoms and provide coping mechanisms.
A qualified professional (typically psychiatrists or psychologist) will have a structured discussion with you, using the DIVA-5 instrument to assess your current symptoms. This will consist of standardised questions about your levels of hyperactivity, attention deficit and an impulsiveness. It will also look into your personal history, including your childhood experiences, in order to obtain a complete picture of your symptoms and their impact on your life.
This approach is crucial to ensure a complete diagnosis of adult ADHD. It also allows us to determine the root of your symptoms, which will help inform your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is an extremely effective way of diagnosing adult ADHD, with high sensitivity and precision. It has also shown to be a good criterion-validated test when compared to 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 good validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
Unlike the more traditional methods of assessing ADHD in adults, the DIVA assessment focuses on identifying and discussing the symptoms that are present in both childhood and in adulthood, thus increasing the accuracy of diagnosis and enabling an accurate comparison between sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups. The DIVA assessment also permits consideration of the effect of coexisting disorders on presentation 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 evaluation and/or treatment. You may be referred to an expert psychologist for a thorough assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there are co-occurring or different diagnoses. This includes assessing comorbid conditions, such as depression or anxiety. This will enable your Psychologist the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can transform your life. It provides answers to long-standing problems and opens the door to effective treatment options. A good evaluation does require the expertise of trained healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a well-organized and comprehensive tool that helps to improve the accuracy of an adult ADHD diagnosis by assessing symptoms across various life stages. It also detects patterns of behavior that persist and helps distinguish between ADHD symptoms and other conditions like depression or anxiety.
In a DIVA ADHD assessment, a doctor conducts an interview to ask a series of questions about symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and the tendency to be impulsive. The clinician evaluates the intensity, frequency and duration of symptoms to determine how they affect the individual in different settings. This information can be used to determine an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been validated against other diagnostic tools and shows high sensitivity when compared to the WURS-brief and CAA-DID as well as the assessment of a psychiatrist. It also has high validity when it comes to assessing ADHD symptoms in five areas of daily functioning: work and education as well as relationships, family and home; social contacts; and free time and leisure.
For a valid DIVA assessment, the individual being assessed and their family and friends need to be present. This will help build trust and a therapeutic bond which is crucial for the success of the evaluation.
A qualified psychiatrist or psychologist who is skilled in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment will be able to give a thorough report. This report will outline the findings of the test and recommend a treatment plan that is based on evidence.
If you think you or someone you love might have ADHD, please contact us for an appointment. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and can provide an evaluation. She can refer you to a specialist who will develop an appropriate treatment plan. Please be aware that the treatment plan recommended is a combination of medications and psychotherapy.