21-item short form measuring depression, anxiety, and stress with three subscales. ≈ 5 min to complete. Free with attribution.
DASS-21 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess 21-item short form measuring depression, anxiety, and stress with three subscales.. It is most often used for 21-item short form measuring depression, anxiety, and stress with three subscales.. The instrument contains 21 items. Typical administration time is ≈ 5 min.
Source / attribution: Free to use with citation
21-item short form measuring depression, anxiety, and stress with three subscales. DASS-21 is part of standard practice in this setting because it provides a structured, replicable assessment that can be tracked over time and compared across patients or visits.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, DASS-21 is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 21 items below to see your DASS-21 score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 4-point scale (0–3). Your score updates live as you answer.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
Sum each subscale (7 items) and multiply by 2. Scores: Depression 0-42, Anxiety 0-42, Stress 0-42.
Scoring notes: Sum each subscale (7 items) and multiply by 2. Scores: Depression 0-42, Anxiety 0-42, Stress 0-42.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 0–9 | Normal | None |
| 10–13 | Mild | Monitor |
| 14–20 | Moderate | Consider treatment |
| 21–27 | Severe | Active treatment |
| 28–42 | Extremely severe | Immediate treatment |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I found it hard to wind down | Applied to me to some degree | 1 |
| 2 | I was aware of dryness of my mouth | Applied to me to some degree | 1 |
| 3 | I couldn't seem to experience any positive feeling at all | Applied to me to some degree | 1 |
| 4 | I experienced breathing difficulty | Did not apply to me at all | 0 |
| 5 | I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do things | Applied to me to some degree | 1 |
| 6 | I tended to over-react to situations | Did not apply to me at all | 0 |
| 7 | I experienced trembling (e.g., in the hands) | Applied to me to some degree | 1 |
| 8 | I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy | Did not apply to me at all | 0 |
| 9 | I was worried about situations in which I might panic and make a fool of myself | Applied to me to some degree | 1 |
| 10 | I felt that I had nothing to look forward to | Did not apply to me at all | 0 |
| 11 | I found myself getting agitated | Applied to me to some degree | 1 |
| 12 | I found it difficult to relax | Did not apply to me at all | 0 |
| 13 | I felt down-hearted and blue | Applied to me to some degree | 1 |
| 14 | I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I was doing | Did not apply to me at all | 0 |
| 15 | I felt I was close to panic | Applied to me to some degree | 1 |
| 16 | I was unable to become enthusiastic about anything | Did not apply to me at all | 0 |
| 17 | I felt I wasn't worth much as a person | Applied to me to some degree | 1 |
| 18 | I felt that I was rather touchy | Did not apply to me at all | 0 |
| 19 | I was aware of the action of my heart in the absence of physical exertion | Applied to me to some degree | 1 |
| 20 | I felt scared without any good reason | Did not apply to me at all | 0 |
| 21 | I felt that life was meaningless | Applied to me to some degree | 1 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
1 + 1 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 0 + … (items 9–21 sum to 7) = 12
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 12 falls between 10 and 13 → Mild
Mild. Monitor
A score is one input alongside history and examination. DASS-21 supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
Psychometric figures are drawn from the validation literature and may vary across clinical populations and translations.
If DASS-21 doesn't fit your context, related instruments in stress include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| DASS-42 | Full 42-item version of DASS with 14 items per subscale for research. | 42 | ≈ 10 min |
| PSS-10 | 10-item measure of the degree to which situations are appraised as stressful. | 10 | ≈ 2 min |
| PSS-4 | Ultra-brief 4-item version of PSS for large surveys. | 4 | ≈ 1 min |
| PSS-14 | Original 14-item version of the Perceived Stress Scale. | 14 | ≈ 3 min |
| PHQ-9 | Severity of depression | 9 | ≈ 3 minutes |
| GAD-7 | Severity of generalized anxiety | 7 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| AUDIT | 10-item WHO screening tool for hazardous alcohol consumption and dependence. | 10 | ≈ 3 min |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
DASS-21 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21) is a validated instrument that assesses 21-item short form measuring depression, anxiety, and stress with three subscales.. Its primary clinical use is 21-item short form measuring depression, anxiety, and stress with three subscales..
DASS-21 typically takes ≈ 5 min to administer. Time can vary slightly depending on whether it is self-administered or clinician-led.
DASS-21 contains 21 items. Items are summed to produce a total score.
Scores of 28–42 fall in the "Extremely severe" band. Immediate treatment
Scores of 0–9 fall in the "Normal" band. None
DASS-21 has reported Cronbach's α of 0.88 in validation samples and test–retest reliability of 0.82. Discriminates between depression, anxiety, and stress constructs.
DASS-21 is free to use with attribution. Free to use with citation
Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Psychology Foundation.
No. DASS-21 is a structured assessment aid. A score is one input alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
DASS-21 is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: