Diva ADHD Assessment: What's The Only Thing Nobody Is Talking About DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis

DIVA is an interview with a semistructured format that was developed to enhance ADHD assessment for adults. This study is aimed at assessing the criterion valid of DIVA 2.0 and its concomitant validity 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

ADD/ADHD symptoms affect all aspects 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. During your assessment, Dr Schilling will begin by obtaining details of your symptoms and health history. She will then take the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to examine the primary symptoms of ADD/ADHD as well as the impact these symptoms have had on your life.

The DIVA is a diagnostic interview tool created by psychologists and psychiatrists to assess adult ADHD symptoms. It has been proven to have a high sensitivity to sound and a high degree of specificity. It is highly effective at identifying people suffering from the disorder. It is able to raise awareness of, and diagnosis of adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semi-structured diagnostic test for adults with ADHD available in the country.

To conduct how to get assessed for adhd uk , a trained clinician usually psychologists or psychiatrists will ask questions about the core symptoms of ADHD which include inattention, hyperactivity, and an impulsive nature. The clinician will also analyze the history of the individual as well as their childhood experiences as well as their impact on their current behaviours. This is because the symptoms of ADHD don't just emerge suddenly, they develop throughout one's childhood, teen years, and into adulthood.

The DIVA can detect ADHD because it takes into account both the DSM-IV ADHD criteria during childhood and into adulthood, and how these symptoms have affected the person's daily functioning in five distinct areas - education, employment relations with family/partners and leisure/social activities, as well as confidence and self-esteem. Other screening tools, such as the WURS brief, which was compared with the CAADID showed poor sensitivity, and negative predictive value.

Diagnosis

To diagnose ADHD in adults, it is important that you evaluate the signs and symptoms along with their history. This can be accomplished through an extensive interview regarding childhood symptoms as well as a neurological assessment. It is crucial to think about the impact that the symptoms have on the individual's job and daily life. This can be determined by conducting a structured interview, also known as the DIVA and, in certain instances, asking for information from friends and family members.

The DIVA is a semi-structured interview that was first developed for use with adults in the Netherlands. It has been redesigned to be used with adult patients in other countries as well, including Korea. This study evaluated the criterion validity of the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in a clinical sample of adults with ADHD.

During the DIVA the clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms in childhood and 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 doctor also collects a diverse set of sociodemographic data and inquires about any psychiatric co-morbidity.

MINI-S and 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 determine if a psychiatric co-morbidity existed. A diagnosis of clinical ADHD was determined by two psychiatrists with years of experience who utilized the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to evaluate symptoms in both childhood and adulthood, and to 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 has good concurrent validity when compared to the WURS scale, and has 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 the DIVA-5's diagnosis was found to be similar to the accuracy of a clinical diagnosis given by two psychiatrists. This was in accordance with the sensitivity and specificity of earlier screening tools, such ASRS and WURS.

Treatment

If you are not diagnosed with ADHD, it can significantly affect your life. It can impact your relationships, academic progress, and work. It can also affect the way you manage your daily life. A diagnosis can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and provide treatment options to improve your symptoms and coping mechanism.


A trained professional (typically psychiatrists or psychologist) will conduct a structured discussion with you using the DIVA-5 tool to assess your current symptoms. This will consist of regular questions about your levels of hyperactivity, attention deficit and the tendency to be impulsive. It will also delve into your personal history, including childhood experiences, to obtain a complete picture of your symptoms and their impact on your life.

This approach is crucial for ensuring a thorough diagnosis of adult ADHD. This will help us better comprehend your symptoms and guide your treatment.

The DIVA assessment can be used to diagnose adult ADHD with high specificity and sensitivity. It has also been demonstrated to have sound criterion validity when compared with self-report rating scales like the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good consistency with these scales, and has fair 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 the symptoms that are present in both childhood and in adulthood, thus increasing the accuracy of the diagnosis and allowing for an easier comparison of sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups. The DIVA assessment can also be used to assess the effects of coexisting disorders on presentation and severity of ADHD symptoms.

If your Psychologist is unable to recommend medication, it may be necessary to set up an appointment with a Pediatrician or Psychiatrist for a further assessment and/or therapy. They will then refer you to an expert Psychologist for more in-depth analysis of your symptoms, and to determine if there are any co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing co-occurring conditions, like anxiety or depression. This will enable your Psychologist recommend an appropriate 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 reliable assessment requires the expertise of experienced healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment, a structured and comprehensive tool, helps to improve the adult ADHD diagnosis accuracy by evaluating symptoms across different stages of life. It also detects patterns of behavior that persist of behavior, and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and other conditions that may present similar symptoms for adults, such as anxiety or depression.

In a DIVA ADHD assessment, a doctor conducts an interview to ask an array of questions about symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and the tendency to be impulsive. The clinician evaluates the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms to determine the extent to which they affect the person in various situations. This information can be used to make an accurate diagnosis.

The DIVA assessment has been verified against other diagnostic tools and shows high sensitivity when compared with the WURS-brief and CAA-DID as well as a psychiatrist's assessment. It also has excellent accuracy when assessing ADHD symptoms in five areas of daily functioning: education and work; relationships; home and family social contact; leisure time and hobbies.

A valid DIVA assessment requires the participation of the person being assessed as well as their closest family members and close friends. This will help to build trust and a therapeutic bond that will be important to the success of the assessment.

A skilled psychologist or psychiatrist who has been certified in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment will be able to provide a detailed report. This report will present the findings of the assessment and recommend a treatment plan that is based on the data.

Please contact us to set up an appointment if you or someone you love might be suffering from ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling has been trained in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessments and is able to give a thorough assessment. She will then make a referral to specialists to design an effective treatment strategy. Be aware that an amalgamation of psychotherapy and medication is the recommended treatment.