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DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis

DIVA is a semistructured interview developed to improve ADHD assessment for adults. This study aims at evaluating the validity of the criteria used in DIVA 2.0 as well as 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

ADD/ADHD symptoms impact all aspects of our lives from relationships to career advancement and the everyday tasks we have to perform. This is why it's crucial that our ADHD assessments adopt a holistic approach and look at how the symptoms affect every aspect of life. Dr. adhd assessment uk online will begin by assessing your symptoms and medical history. She will then conduct the 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 interviewing tool designed by psychiatrists and psychotherapists to evaluate the symptoms of adult ADHD. It has been demonstrated to be highly sensitive and specific. It is extremely effective in identifying those suffering from the disorder. It is able to raise awareness and diagnose adult ADHD in Korea because it is the only validated semistructured diagnostic interview available in the country.

In order to conduct the DIVA, a trained clinician - often a psychiatrist or psychologist - will ask questions about the core symptoms of ADHD, including hyperactivity, inattention and the tendency to be impulsive. The psychologist will also analyze the background of the person as well as their childhood experiences as well as their impact on their current behaviours. The symptoms of ADHD are not sudden. They develop over a period of time, from childhood to teen years and then into adulthood.

The DIVA can detect ADHD because it considers both the DSM-IV ADHD criteria during childhood and into adulthood and how these symptoms have affected the person's daily functioning across five different areas: education, employment and family/partner relationships, social activities/leisure, and confidence in oneself. Other screening tools, like the WURS brief, which was compared with the CAADID revealed low sensitivity 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 done through a comprehensive interview about childhood symptoms and an assessment of neurocognitive capacity. It is also crucial to consider the impact of the symptoms on the individual's life and work. This can be evaluated by conducting a structured interview, called the DIVA and, in some cases, obtaining information from family members and friends.

The DIVA interview is a semistructured interview first developed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been refined for use in other countries including Korea. This study examined the validity of the criterion used to determine the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in an adult clinical sample with ADHD.

During the DIVA The clinician will inquire about the presence of ADHD symptoms during childhood and adulthood, as well as the age at which the symptoms first manifest, as well as the severity of impairment resulting from these symptoms. The doctor will also collect different sociodemographic information and inquire about any psychiatric-related co-morbidity.

MINI-S as well as Version 5.0.0 and 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 with experience employed the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 in order to establish a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. They evaluated symptoms both in 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 to the WURS scale, and has fair validity when compared to three self-report ratings instruments: 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 diagnosis of the DIVA-5 was found to be similar to the accuracy of a diagnosis established by two expert psychiatrists. This was in accordance with the sensitivity as well as specificity of earlier screening tools such ASRS and WURS.

Treatment

If you are not diagnosed with ADHD it could significantly affect your life. It can impact your relationships, academic performance as well as your work. It can also impact how you organize your day-to-day life. A diagnosis can help identify your strengths and weaknesses and provide treatment options to improve your symptoms and coping mechanism.

A licensed clinician, usually a psychiatrist or psychologist, will conduct a structured discussion with you about your symptoms currently using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. It will include standardised questions about your levels of hyperactivity, attention deficit and impulsivity. It will also explore your personal history, including your childhood experiences, in order to obtain a complete picture of your symptoms and the impact they have on your life.

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





The DIVA assessment can be used to diagnose adult ADHD with high specificity and sensitivity. It has also shown to have good criterion valid when compared to self-report scales, such as the Wender Utah Rating Scales (WURS) or the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrent validity with these scales and has reasonable 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 can be observed in 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 evaluation also provides an opportunity to think about the effects of co-occurring conditions on the presentation of ADHD symptoms.

If your Psychologist is unable to recommend medication, you may need to schedule an appointment with a Psychiatrist or Paediatrician for further evaluation and/or treatment. You can be referred a specialist psychologist for a more in-depth assessment of your symptoms and to determine if there is any co-occurring or different diagnoses. This includes assessing for co-occurring conditions such as anxiety and depression. This will allow your Psychologist to suggest a suitable treatment plan.

Getting Started

A diagnosis of ADHD can transform your life. It can provide answers to persistent problems and opens the door to effective treatment options. However, a thorough evaluation requires the expertise of qualified healthcare experts. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a standardized and extensive tool that assists to improve the accuracy of an adult ADHD diagnosis by assessing symptoms across different life stages. It also identifies patterns of behavior that are persistent and helps distinguish between ADHD symptoms and other disorders like anxiety or depression.

In the course of a DIVA ADHD evaluation, a practitioner will conduct an organized interview to ask a series of questions about symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. The clinician assesses the frequency, severity and duration of these symptoms to understand how they impact on the individual's life and functioning in various environments. This information can then be used to create an accurate 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 has also excellent validity when conducting an assessment of ADHD in five areas of daily functioning that include education and work relationships, home and family social interactions, leisure time and hobbies.

To be able to conduct an accurate DIVA assessment, the person being evaluated as well as their family members and friends must be present. This will help establish trust and strengthen the therapeutic bond, which will be crucial to the success of your assessment.

A psychiatrist or psychologist with experience in the DIVA ADHD assessment can provide an extensive professional report. This report will outline the findings of the test and suggest a treatment plan that is based on the evidence.

Contact us to make an appointment if you or someone you love may be suffering from ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and can provide an evaluation. She can then provide an appointment with specialists to design an effective treatment plan. Be aware that the recommended treatment method is a combination of medications and psychotherapy.