Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults · 5th Edition
The DIVA-5
The most in-depth adult ADHD instrument in wide use — it works through all 18 DSM criteria across both childhood and adulthood, with real-life examples and impairment mapped over five areas of life.
What the DIVA-5 is
The DIVA (Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults) is a structured interview developed in the Netherlands by J.J.S. Sandra Kooij and M.H. Francken, published by the DIVA Foundation in The Hague. It is built directly on the DSM criteria for ADHD and is used worldwide in both clinical practice and research. Unlike a quick screener, it doesn't just count symptoms — it explores each one in depth, and is designed to support an actual diagnostic conversation rather than a yes/no score.
Why it goes deeper than a screener
A typical screener gives you a single number. The DIVA-5 examines each of the 18 ADHD symptom criteria twice — once for how it shows up now, and once for how it showed up in childhood — and offers concrete, real-life examples for each so you're not guessing what a criterion means. It then maps how the symptoms actually affect your life across five domains. That's the difference between "you might have ADHD" and a detailed picture of where, when, and how it shows up.
How it's structured
The interview is in three parts, each applied to both childhood and adulthood:
- Part 1 — Attention-Deficit (9 criteria): attention to detail, sustaining focus, listening, following through, organising, sustained mental effort, losing things, distractibility, forgetfulness.
- Part 2 — Hyperactivity-Impulsivity (9 criteria): fidgeting, leaving your seat, restlessness, doing things quietly, being "on the go", talking, blurting answers, waiting your turn, interrupting.
- Part 3 — Age of onset & impairment: when symptoms began and how they impair you across work/education, relationships & family, social contacts, free time & hobbies, and self-confidence & self-image.
How it's scored
For each criterion, the interviewer decides whether it's present in childhood and in adulthood. The DSM rule is six or more of nine criteria in a domain; the DIVA's own score form notes that research suggests four or more can be sufficient in adults (Kooij et al., 2005). For a diagnosis the symptoms also need a lifelong pattern starting in childhood, and impairment in at least two life domains — and they shouldn't be better explained by another condition.
The full DIVA-5 is meant to be carried out with a trained clinician, often with a partner or family member present to help fill in childhood detail. The online self-check linked here is a free, self-administered adaptation — useful for reflection and for bringing structured notes to a professional, but it is not a diagnosis.
How to use this site
- Take the free DIVA-5 self-check at adhdprep.com — your responses stay on their site.
- Note your total score and your three category averages from the report it gives you.
- Come back and enter those numbers to see what they mean.
- Want the real thing? Download the full DIVA interview (PDF) to take to a clinician.
The DIVA-5 is a publication of the DIVA Foundation, The Hague. Source for the interview PDF: OHSU. The self-check is a free online adaptation hosted by adhdprep.com. This site is informational and is not affiliated with the DIVA Foundation; it does not host the interview or collect responses.