DASS-21 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales)

Please read each statement and select the number 0, 1, 2 or 3 which indicates how much the statement applied to you over the past week. There are no right or wrong answers. Do not spend too much time on any statement.

0: Did not apply to me at all
1: Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time
2: Applied to me to a considerable degree, or a good part of time
3: Applied to me very much, or most of the time

1.I found it hard to wind down
2.I was aware of dryness of my mouth
3.I couldn't seem to experience any positive feeling at all
4.I experienced breathing difficulty (eg, excessively rapid breathing, breathlessness in the absence of physical exertion)
5.I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do things
6.I tended to over-react to situations
7.I experienced trembling (eg, in the hands)
8.I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy
9.I was worried about situations in which I might panic and make a fool of myself
10.I felt that I had nothing to look forward to
11.I found myself getting agitated
12.I found it difficult to relax
13.I felt down-hearted and blue
14.I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I was doing
15.I felt I was close to panic
16.I was unable to become enthusiastic about anything
17.I felt I wasn't worth much as a person
18.I felt that I was rather touchy
19.I was aware of the action of my heart in the absence of physical exertion (eg, sense of heart rate increase, heart missing a beat)
20.I felt scared without any good reason
21.I felt that life was meaningless

0 of 21 answered.

How to read the score

Each subscale score is doubled, because the DASS-21 is half the length of the full DASS. The severity bands apply to that doubled score, so it can be compared with DASS normative data and other published DASS results.

“Mild” does not mean a mild disorder. The labels describe where someone sits in the general population — “mild” means above the population mean but still well below the typical severity of people seeking help. The scale's authors call the labels arbitrary and warn against reifying them.

The DASS is not a diagnostic instrument and cannot diagnose depression, anxiety or stress. It indicates whether these are having a significant effect at present; a high score needs exploring in conversation and may warrant referral for a clinical interview.

The bands differ sharply between subscales — a doubled score of 20 is “moderate” for depression and stress, but “extremely severe” for anxiety. Read each subscale against its own band, never against the others.

Sources