17 Signs To Know You Work With Diva ADHD Assessment
DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured, structured interview that was developed to improve ADHD assessments in adults. This study is aimed at assessing the criterion valid of DIVA 2.0 as well as 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
ADD/ADHD symptoms affect all aspects of our lives from relationships to advancement in our careers and the daily tasks we perform. It is crucial that our ADHD assessment takes a holistic view, examining how symptoms impact all aspects of life. 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 examine the main symptoms of ADD/ADHD and how they have affected your life.
The DIVA is a diagnostic interview tool developed by psychiatrists and psychologists to evaluate adult ADHD symptoms. It has been demonstrated to have sound sensitivity and a high degree of specificity. adhd assessments is also highly effective in identifying those with the disorder. It has the potential to raise awareness of, and diagnose the condition of adult ADHD in Korea, as it is the only validated semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults with ADHD available in the country.
To perform the DIVA, a trained clinician - often psychologists or psychiatrists will ask questions about the core symptoms of ADHD such as hyperactivity, inattention, and an impulsive nature. The psychologist will also examine the history of the individual as well as 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 to teen years and into adulthood.
The DIVA can effectively identify those with ADHD because 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 distinct areas of life: education and work, family/partnership relations, social activities/leisure time, and self-esteem and self-confidence. Contrary to this, other screening tools such as the WURS-brief which was compared with the CAADID and showed low sensitiveness and negative predictive value.
Diagnosis
In order to determine the presence of ADHD in adults, it is important to assess the symptoms and their history. This can be done through conducting a thorough interview about childhood symptoms as well as a neurocognitive assessment. It is essential to take into consideration the impact that the symptoms have on the person's job and daily life. This can be assessed by conducting a structured interview, the DIVA and, in some instances, getting information from family members and friends.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured, structured interview that was originally designed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been refined to be used in other countries including Korea. This study looked at the criterion validity of the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in an adult clinical sample with ADHD.
During the DIVA the doctor will inquire about ADHD symptoms during childhood and adulthood. They will also ask the age of onset of symptoms and the degree of impairment caused by these symptoms. The doctor also collects a wide range of sociodemographic data and inquires about any mental health or comorbidity.
Patients were examined for psychiatric comorbidity using the MINI-S plus version 5.0.0 and the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impairment Screening Instrument (BEARNI), and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). A diagnosis of clinical ADHD was made by two experienced psychiatrists who used the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to determine the severity of symptoms in childhood and adulthood, and to determine the duration of those 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 shown to have good concurrent validity 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 accuracy of the DIVA-5's diagnostics was found to be similar to the accuracy of clinical diagnosis that were made by two psychiatrists. This was in agreement with the sensitivity and specificity of previous screening tools such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
If you are not diagnosed with ADHD it could significantly affect your life. It can affect many areas from your relationships, academic progress and work to the simple task of managing your daily life. A diagnosis can help identify your strengths and weaknesses, as well as provide treatment options to alleviate your symptoms and coping mechanism.
A qualified clinician, typically psychologist or psychiatrist will conduct a structured interview with you about your current symptoms using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. It will include standardised questions regarding your levels of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. 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 approach is essential for a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. It also allows us to determine the root of your symptoms, which will help determine the best treatment for you.
The DIVA assessment is an extremely efficient method of diagnosing adult ADHD with high sensitivity and specificity. It has also shown to be valid as a criterion when compared with self-report scales like the Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concordance validity with these scales and good 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 occur both during childhood and adulthood, thereby increasing the accuracy of diagnosis and allowing for a more accurate comparison between the sociodemographic characteristics of both groups. The DIVA evaluation also offers an opportunity to think about the effects of co-occurring conditions on the manifestation 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 will then refer you to an expert Psychologist for more in-depth analysis of your symptoms, and to look for co-occurring diagnoses or differential diagnoses. This includes assessing any comorbid disorders, such as anxiety or depression. This will allow your Psychologist to recommend the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
Being diagnosed with ADHD can have a profound impact on your life and provide explanations for lingering difficulties and opening doors to effective treatment options. However, a good evaluation requires the expertise of experienced medical professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a structured and comprehensive tool that can help to improve the accuracy of an adult ADHD diagnosis by evaluating symptoms across different life stages. It also helps identify patterns of behavior, and distinguishes between ADHD symptoms and other conditions which may have similar symptoms in adults, such as anxiety or depression.
In the course of a DIVA ADHD evaluation, a practitioner will conduct an organized interview to ask a series of questions regarding symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention, and an impulsiveness. The clinician assesses the severity, frequency and duration of these symptoms to determine how they impact on the individual's life and how they function in a variety of settings. This information can be used to create an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA assessment has been verified against other diagnostic tools and exhibits high sensitivity in comparison to the WURS-brief, CAA-DID and a psychiatrist's assessment. It also has a high degree of validity when conducting an assessment of ADHD in five areas of daily function that include education and work relationships home and family social interactions, free time and hobbies.
A well-validated DIVA assessment requires the participation of the individual being evaluated as well as their close family members and their friends. This helps build trust and create a strong therapeutic connection, which is essential to the success of your assessment.
A psychologist or psychiatrist with experience with the DIVA ADHD assessment can provide an extensive, professional report. This report will present the findings of the test and recommend a treatment plan based on the evidence.
Please contact us to set up an appointment if you suspect you or someone you love might be suffering from ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling has been trained to use the DIVA ADHD assessments and is able to provide a thorough evaluation. She can then make an appointment with specialists to design an effective treatment strategy. Be aware that a combination of medication and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment.