15 . Things That Your Boss Wishes You Knew About Diva ADHD Assessment

DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis

DIVA is an interview that is semistructured designed to improve ADHD assessment for adults. This study aims to evaluate the validity of the criterion used in DIVA 2.0 and its validity in conjunction 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 from relationships and career advancement to the day-to-day activities that comprise our lives. It is crucial that our ADHD assessment takes a comprehensive view, examining how symptoms impact all aspects of life. In your assessment, Dr. Schilling will start by gathering 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 as well as how they have affected your life.

The DIVA is a diagnostic interview tool developed by psychiatrists and psychologists to assess adult ADHD symptoms. It has been demonstrated to have a high sensitivity to sound and specificity. It is extremely effective in identifying those suffering from the disorder. It is able to raise awareness of, and diagnose the condition of adult ADHD in Korea, as it is the only validated semi-structured, semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults suffering from ADHD available in the country.

A trained clinician, usually psychiatrists will ask questions to determine the primary symptoms of ADHD. These include hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsive nature. The psychologist will also look into the individual's history and examine their childhood experiences and how those may have influenced their behavior. This is because the symptoms of ADHD aren't something that just happens to appear suddenly, they develop throughout the teen years, and through adulthood.

The DIVA can detect ADHD because it considers both the DSM-IV ADHD criteria in childhood and in adulthood and how these signs have affected the individual's daily functioning in five distinct areas - employment, education and family/partner relationships, social activities/leisure, and self-esteem/confidence. Contrary to this, other screening tools such as the WURS-brief, which was compared to the CAADID, showed poor sensitivity and negative predictive values.

Diagnosis

In order to diagnose ADHD in adults, it is important to evaluate the symptoms and their causes. This can be done by a comprehensive interview about childhood symptoms as well as a neurocognitive assessment. It is crucial to think about the impact these symptoms have on the person's work and life. This can be determined through a structured medical interview, also known as the DIVA and, in certain instances, getting information from friends and family members.

The DIVA is an interview that is semi-structured and was first developed for use with 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 a clinical sample of adult patients with ADHD.

During the DIVA the doctor will inquire about ADHD symptoms in the early years and in adulthood. They will also ask the age at which they first noticed symptoms and the degree of impairment caused by these symptoms. The doctor will also collect various sociodemographic data and inquire about any psychiatric-related co-morbidity.

Patients were examined for psychiatric comorbidity 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). Two experienced psychiatrists used the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 in order to establish a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. They assessed 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. The diagnostic tool was demonstrated to have good compatibility 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 diagnosis was found to be similar to the accuracy of clinical diagnosis given by two psychiatrists.  how do you get assessed for adhd  was in agreement with the specificity and sensitivity of previous screening tools such as the ASRS and the WURS.

Treatment

If you are not diagnosed with ADHD it can greatly affect your life. This can affect your relationships, academic performance as well as your work. It can also affect the way you organize your day-to-day activities. A diagnosis can help you recognize your strengths and difficulties, as well as offer treatment options that help you manage your symptoms and mechanisms.

A trained clinician, usually psychologist or psychiatrist will conduct a structured discussion with you regarding your symptoms currently using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. This will involve asking standardised questions about your levels of hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. It will also look into your personal history, including your childhood experiences to create a complete picture of your symptoms.

This method is essential for a thorough adult ADHD diagnosis. This allows us to better know your symptoms and help you with your treatment.

The DIVA assessment is a highly efficient method of diagnosing adults with ADHD, with excellent sensitivity and specificity. It has also been demonstrated to be reliable in determining the validity of criterion when compared with self-report rating scales like the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good concurrent validity with these scales, and good 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 occur both during childhood and in adulthood, thus increasing the accuracy of the diagnosis and enabling a more accurate comparison between sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups. The DIVA evaluation also provides an opportunity to consider the effects of co-occurring disorders on appearance of ADHD symptoms.

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

Getting Started

Getting diagnosed with ADHD can be life-changing and provide explanations for lingering issues and opening doors to effective treatment options. A successful evaluation requires the expertise of trained healthcare professionals. 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 detects patterns of behavior that are persistent and assists in determining the difference between ADHD symptoms and other conditions like depression or anxiety.

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 impulsivity. The clinician evaluates the frequency, severity and duration of these symptoms in order to understand how they impact on the individual's life and functioning in a variety of environments. This information can then be utilized to establish a precise diagnosis.

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

To be able to conduct a valid DIVA assessment, the individual being evaluated, their family and friends must be present. This will help build trust and strengthen the therapeutic bond that is essential for the success of the evaluation.

A psychiatrist or psychologist with experience with the DIVA ADHD assessment can write an in-depth, professional report. This report will outline the results of the assessment and recommend a treatment plan that is based on evidence.

Please contact us to schedule an appointment if you think you or someone you love might have ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling is trained in the DIVA ADHD assessment and is able to provide an assessment. She can refer you to a specialist who will formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Be aware that an amalgamation of psychotherapy and medication is the best treatment.