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DASS-21 scoring

Use the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) to support your clinical assessment. Enter the client’s responses below to calculate the depression, anxiety and stress scores and review the severity rating for each. This tool is for clinicians and supports, rather than replaces, a clinical interview.

Please read each statement and circle a 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.

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

Answered 0 of 21

Answer every scored item to see the result and copy it.

Answers stay in this browser. Nothing is saved or sent.

How to score the DASS-21

  1. Ask the client to rate how much each statement applied to them over the past week, from 0 (did not apply at all) to 3 (applied very much, or most of the time).
  2. Add the 7 items for each scale: depression (items 3, 5, 10, 13, 16, 17 and 21), anxiety (items 2, 4, 7, 9, 15, 19 and 20) and stress (items 1, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14 and 18).
  3. Multiply each scale sum by 2 so it can be compared with the full 42-item DASS norms and published data. Each scale score then runs from 0 to 42.
  4. Compare each doubled score with the severity ratings below, then review the profile with the client in a clinical interview.

DASS-21 severity ratings

DASS-21 scale scores, after doubling, for each severity rating
SeverityDepressionAnxietyStress
normal0 to 90 to 70 to 14
mild10 to 138 to 915 to 18
moderate14 to 2010 to 1419 to 25
severe21 to 2715 to 1926 to 33
extremely severe28 to 4220 to 4234 to 42

What the score means and what it does not

The DASS measures depression, anxiety and stress as dimensions rather than diagnoses, so it has no direct link to DSM or ICD categories. The severity labels describe where a score falls in the population: “mild” means above the population average but well below the typical severity of people seeking help, not a mild disorder. Decisions based on a score profile should be made by an experienced clinician after a clinical examination. None of the DASS items asks about suicidal thoughts, so assess suicide risk separately when it is relevant.

Using the DASS-21 over time

The DASS is designed to measure current state and change in state over time, for example during treatment, on each of the three scales. Each response covers the past week. Compare doubled scores each time and discuss changes with the client.

Frequently asked questions

Why are DASS-21 scores multiplied by 2?

The DASS-21 has 7 items per scale, half of the full 42-item DASS. Doubling each scale sum makes it comparable with the DASS normative data and other published DASS data.

Which DASS-21 items belong to each scale?

Depression: items 3, 5, 10, 13, 16, 17 and 21. Anxiety: items 2, 4, 7, 9, 15, 19 and 20. Stress: items 1, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14 and 18.

What do the DASS-21 severity labels mean?

They describe how a score compares with the population. “Mild” means above the population average but well below the typical severity of people seeking help. They are not diagnoses.

Can the DASS-21 diagnose depression or anxiety?

No. The DASS is dimensional and has no direct link to diagnostic categories. Use it alongside a clinical examination.

Does the DASS-21 ask about suicide?

No. None of the items refers to suicidal thoughts, so assess suicide risk separately when it is relevant.

What if an item is missing?

The DASS FAQ gives one rule of thumb: allow up to 1 missing item per 7-item scale on the DASS-21, and state how missing items were handled. This tool needs every item before it shows scale scores.

Sources

Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), DASS21 response form. University of New South Wales.

DASS frequently asked questions. University of New South Wales.

Overview of the DASS and its uses. University of New South Wales.

Lovibond SH, Lovibond PF. Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. 2nd ed. Sydney: Psychology Foundation; 1995. Severity cut-offs as reported in: Soria-Reyes LM, Alarcón R, Cerezo MV, Blanca MJ. Psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) in women with breast cancer. Sci Rep. 2024;14:20473.

The DASS was developed by S.H. Lovibond and P.F. Lovibond at the University of New South Wales. The DASS questionnaire is in the public domain, and permission is not needed to use it. Severity ratings are from the DASS manual (Lovibond and Lovibond, 1995).

In crisis? Don't use this site. Get immediate help or call emergency services.