The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) is a 21-item self-report questionnaire covering depression, anxiety and stress over the past week. It is the short form of the 42-item DASS developed by Lovibond and Lovibond at UNSW, and it is in the public domain.
UNSW says interpretation should be done by someone trained in psychological science, and, when the person has sought help or is very distressed, by an appropriately qualified health professional such as a clinical psychologist. Severity labels are published only in the DASS manual, which can be ordered from the DASS website; normative data are in the manual and in published articles.
The DASS is designed to be used with a health professional, who can explain what a result means. Your GP or psychologist can arrange it. If you need support now: Lifeline 13 11 14 · Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 · 13YARN 13 92 76. See our helplines directory or how to get a Mental Health Care Plan.
Yes. The DASS is in the public domain, so permission is not needed to use it (UNSW DASS FAQ).
The DASS owners ask that it is not administered on a website open to the public, and that computed scores are not made available to the person completing it. AskMyGP is a public website, so this page links to the official forms for clinicians instead.
The items for each of the three scales (depression, anxiety, stress) are added, and for the DASS-21 each scale total is multiplied by 2 so it can be compared with the 42-item DASS norms. Severity labels are published only in the DASS manual.
The UNSW DASS site lists translations in more than 60 languages, with no assurance of their quality. See our directory of translated screening questionnaires for GPs.
K10 · PHQ-9 · GAD-7 · Questionnaires in other languages
General information, not medical advice. Check the UNSW site for current terms.