Keep An Eye On This: How Diva ADHD Assessment Is Taking Over And What To Do
DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is a semi-structured, structured interview that has been developed to enhance ADHD assessments for adults. This study will evaluate the validity of the criterion used in DIVA 2.0 and its concomitant validity in comparison 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.

Symptoms
ADD/ADHD symptoms impact all aspects of our lives, from relationships to career advancement, and the everyday tasks we have to perform. It is important that our ADHD assessment takes a comprehensive perspective, looking at how symptoms affect all aspects of our lives. During your assessment, Dr Schilling will start by gathering information about your symptoms and health background. 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 interview tool for diagnosing ADHD. It was created by psychologists and psychiatrists to determine adult ADHD symptoms. It has been demonstrated to have sound sensitivity and a high degree of specificity. It is extremely effective in identifying people suffering from the disorder. It has the potential to increase awareness of, and diagnose adult ADHD in Korea since it is the only validated semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults with ADHD available in the country.
To conduct the DIVA, a trained clinician usually psychologists or psychiatrists will ask questions about the core symptoms of ADHD such as hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. The doctor will also examine the background of the person as well as their childhood experiences as well as their influence on their behavior. The symptoms of ADHD do not appear suddenly. They appear over a long period of time from childhood through teen years and into adulthood.
The DIVA is able to 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 an person's daily functioning in five areas of life: education work, family/partner relationships, family, social activities/leisure time, and self-esteem and self-confidence. As a contrast, other screening tools like the WURS-brief which was compared to CAADID, showed poor sensitivity and negative predictive values.
Diagnosis
To diagnose ADHD in adults, it is important to determine the severity of the symptoms and their causes. This can be accomplished through conducting a thorough interview about childhood symptoms and an assessment of neurocognitive capacity. It is crucial to think about the impact that the symptoms have on the person's work and life. This can be determined conducting a structured interview, the DIVA and, in certain cases, getting information from family and friends.
The DIVA interview is a semistructured interview first designed for adults in the Netherlands. It has been redesigned to be used with adult patients in other countries, including Korea. This study looked at the criteria valid of the Korean version (DIVA-5) using a clinical sample consisting of adults with ADHD.
During the DIVA the doctor will inquire about ADHD symptoms in the early years and in adulthood. They will also inquire about the age at which symptoms first started to manifest symptoms and the level of impairment triggered by these symptoms. The clinician will also collect different sociodemographic information and inquire about any psychiatric co-morbidity.
The MINI-S and Version 5.0.0, the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impaired Screening Instrument (BEARNI) and 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 used the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to evaluate symptoms in both the early years and in childhood, and 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 concordance with the WURS scale as well as fair concurrent validity with three self-report rating instruments: 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 comparable to the accuracy of clinical diagnoses made by two psychiatrists. This was in line with the sensitivity and specificity of earlier screening tools like ASRS and WURS.
Treatment
Undiagnosed ADHD can have a major impact on your daily 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 determine your strengths and difficulties, as well as offer solutions to improve your symptoms and coping mechanisms.
A qualified clinician, typically a psychiatrist or psychologist, will conduct an in-depth interview with you regarding your symptoms currently using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. This will involve asking standardised questions regarding your levels of hyperactivity, inattention and the tendency to be impulsive. It will also delve into your personal history, including childhood experiences, in order to gain a complete understanding of your symptoms and the impact they have on your life.
This method is essential to ensure a complete diagnosis of adult ADHD. It also allows us to determine the root of your symptoms, which helps guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is an extremely efficient method of diagnosing adult ADHD and has high sensitivity and specificity. It has also been shown to be valid as a criterion when compared with self-report rating scales like the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and 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 for assessing ADHD in adults, the DIVA evaluation is focused on identifying and discussing symptoms that can be observed in the teen years and into adulthood, increasing the accuracy of the diagnosis and allowing a more accurate comparison between sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups. The DIVA evaluation also provides an opportunity to consider the effect of co-occurring conditions on the presentation of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist does not prescribe medication, you might require an appointment with a psychiatrist or Paediatrician for further evaluation and/or treatment. They can then refer you to a specialist Psychologist to conduct an in-depth analysis of your symptoms and to assess for differential or co-occurring diagnoses. This includes assessing co-occurring conditions, such as anxiety or depression. This will enable your Psychologist an appropriate treatment plan.
Getting Started
A diagnosis of ADHD can change your life. It provides answers to persistent issues and opens the way to effective treatment options. However, a good evaluation requires the expertise of qualified medical professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a structured and comprehensive tool that can help to improve the accuracy of adult ADHD diagnosis by assessing symptoms across different life stages. It also identifies persistent patterns of behavior and differentiates between ADHD symptoms and those of other disorders that may present similar symptoms in adults, like anxiety or depression.
In an DIVA ADHD assessment, a doctor conducts an interview to ask several questions regarding symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The doctor evaluates the frequency, severity and duration of these symptoms in order to understand how they impact an person's life and performance in several settings. This information can be used to develop an accurate diagnosis.
get adhd assessment is confirmed in comparison to other diagnostic tools. It has a high sensitivity in comparison to CAA-DIDs, WURS-briefs, and psychiatrist's tests. It also has a high degree of validity in assessing ADHD in five areas of daily function such as education and work, relationships, home and family social interactions, free time and hobby.
A well-validated DIVA assessment requires the participation of the person being assessed as well as their closest family members and friends. This helps to establish trust and create a therapeutic bond that is essential to the success of the evaluation.
A qualified psychiatrist or psychologist who is skilled in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment can provide a detailed report. This report will present the findings of the assessment and recommend a treatment program based on the evidence.
Please contact us to set up an appointment if you think you or someone you love may be suffering from ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling has been trained in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessments and can give a thorough assessment. She will refer you to an expert who will create a treatment strategy. Please be aware that the treatment plan recommended is a combination of medication and psychotherapy.