Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in adults (DIVA-5)
DIVA-5 is a clinician-administered structured interview for ADHD in adults. The clinician rates each symptom for adulthood and for childhood, then records onset, impairment, and whether another disorder may explain the symptoms.
Overview
What is the DIVA-5?
The English DIVA-5, 3rd edition (March 2019, DIVA Foundation), rates each of the 18 criteria Yes or No for the last 6 months and for ages 5-12. Examples on the form help the interview. They are not separate scored items.
Development and clinical use
The DIVA Foundation publishes the interview, its instructions, and its validation notes. This entry follows the English 3rd edition score form: four symptom counts, the adult count comparisons, and the childhood several-symptoms comparison.
- Edition
- English DIVA-5, 3rd edition, March 2019
- Symptom ratings
- 18 criteria, adulthood and childhood
- Administrator
- Trained clinician
- Respondent
- Adult in a clinical interview
- Counts
- Four totals, each 0-9
Administration
A structured clinical conversation
A trained clinician administers the interview. It is not a client-only questionnaire, and the administration mode stays clinician-rated.
- Prompt-by-prompt structure without replacing the interview
- Space to record the clinician's ratings, not a client self-score
- Review of what was covered before finishing
- Results remain with the responsible clinician
The clinician rates each symptom. This illustration does not replace the interview.
Report showcase
Designed to make evidence easy to review
The downloadable synthetic example illustrates report layout using invented response patterns, without patient data or instrument questions.
- Named instrument, version, and provenance
- Item-level response pattern without source wording
- Methodology, references, and clinical boundary
- Responsible clinician review rather than automated conclusions
Clinician review required
Methodology
Understand the measure and its scoring conventions
Each Yes on a symptom item counts as 1. The four totals are attention-deficit criteria in adulthood, attention-deficit criteria in childhood, hyperactivity/impulsivity criteria in adulthood, and hyperactivity/impulsivity criteria in childhood. Each total runs from 0 to 9. The score form asks whether an adult count is at least 5, and whether 3 or more attention-deficit and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms were present in childhood. Onset age is recorded only when the lifelong-pattern answer is No. Impairment and the alternative-explanation item are recorded for the clinician.
References
- DIVA Foundation instructionsDIVA Foundation. Instructions for DIVA-5.
- DIVA Foundation validationDIVA Foundation. Validation of DIVA-5.
Questions
What clinics ask before they evaluate the DIVA-5
These answers stay inside educational catalogue scope. They do not replace official manuals or clinician judgement.
Is this the DIVA-5 interview?
Yes. The entry is the clinician-administered English DIVA-5, with adulthood and childhood symptom ratings, impairment, and onset. It is not a shortened current-symptom list.
Can a client complete DIVA-5 on this page?
No. DIVA-5 is not a public self-test. A clinician administers the interview. This page does not return a diagnostic result.
Who should administer DIVA-5?
A trained clinician administers the interview and reviews the symptom counts.
Do the counts diagnose ADHD?
No. The counts and the published count comparisons are recorded for the clinician. Diagnosis, presentation, and severity remain a clinical judgement.