DASS-21
A short self-check of depression, anxiety and stress over the past week.
Module 1
About the DASS-21
What the DASS-21 reflects, how to read it, and important limits.
About the DASS-21
The DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale) is a short questionnaire used to reflect on current mood states over the past week. It looks at three areas – depression, anxiety and stress.
Each subscale is scored by adding its items and multiplying by two. The bands below are a general guide clinicians use:
| Subscale | Normal | Mild | Moderate | Severe | Extremely severe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 0–9 | 10–13 | 14–20 | 21–27 | 28+ |
| Anxiety | 0–7 | 8–9 | 10–14 | 15–19 | 20+ |
| Stress | 0–14 | 15–18 | 19–25 | 26–33 | 34+ |
The DASS was developed by Lovibond & Lovibond (1995) and is freely available for non-commercial use.
Module 2
The questionnaire
The 21-item DASS as a printable worksheet.
The questionnaire
Read each statement and pick the response that indicates how much it applied to you over the past week. There are no right or wrong answers, and you should not spend too much time on any statement.
DASS-21
How much did each statement apply to you over the past week? 0 = Did not apply to me at all · 1 = Applied to some degree / some of the time · 2 = Applied to a considerable degree / a good part of the time · 3 = Applied very much / most of the time.
No personal data collected via the platform. Practice on your own device.
I found it hard to wind down
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I was aware of dryness of my mouth
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I couldn’t seem to experience any positive feeling at all
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I experienced breathing difficulty (e.g. excessively rapid breathing, breathlessness in the absence of physical exertion)
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do things
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I tended to over-react to situations
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I experienced trembling (e.g. in the hands)
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I was worried about situations in which I might panic and make a fool of myself
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I felt that I had nothing to look forward to
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I found myself getting agitated
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I found it difficult to relax
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I felt down-hearted and blue
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I was doing
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I felt I was close to panic
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I was unable to become enthusiastic about anything
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I felt I wasn’t worth much as a person
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I felt that I was rather touchy
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I was aware of the action of my heart in the absence of physical exertion (e.g. sense of heart rate increase, heart missing a beat)
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I felt scared without any good reason
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much
I felt that life was meaningless
0 1 2 3
Did not applyApplied very much