Screening · K10
Psychological distress check
During the last 30 days, about how often did you feel…
Timeframe: the last 30 days
For self-understanding only, not a diagnosis · you can exit anytime; answers are not saved or uploaded
About this instrument
The K10 is the most widely used distress screener in population health, covering your last 30 days.
The K10 (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale) is the standard distress measure in WHO World Mental Health surveys and national health monitoring. Ten items rate anxiety- and depression-related distress over the past 30 days.
Scoring sums the ten items for a total of 10-50: 10-19 likely well, 20-24 mild, 25-29 moderate, 30-50 severe distress. Higher scores mean a higher likelihood of an anxiety or depressive disorder.
K10 works as an overall thermometer - it does not separate depression from anxiety, but answers 'how bad have things been lately'. A high score can be followed up with the PHQ-9 or GAD-7 for direction.
Source: K10 · Kessler et al. · Published scale; free to use with citation · Original source
Item preview (10)
During the last 30 days, about how often did you feel…
- Tired out for no good reason
- Nervous
- So nervous that nothing could calm you down
- Hopeless
- Restless or fidgety
- So restless you could not sit still
- Depressed
- That everything was an effort
- So sad that nothing could cheer you up
- Worthless