Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, DASS

Test scores

The results reflect the severity of negative emotional states across three domains: depression, anxiety, and stress.

Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.

Each scale is interpreted using severity ranges: normal, mild, moderate, severe, and extremely severe. These categories describe the distribution of scores in the population rather than clinical diagnoses, so “mild” for example means that the person is above the population mean but probably still below the typical severity of someone seeking help (i.e. it does not mean a mild level of disorder).

• Depression – reflects low mood, loss of interest, reduced motivation, and negative self-evaluation. Higher scores indicate greater presence of symptoms such as hopelessness, anhedonia, and lack of energy.

• Anxiety – reflects physiological arousal and fear-related symptoms. Higher scores indicate increased bodily tension, panic-like reactions, and fear responses, rather than generalized worry.

• Stress – reflects chronic tension and irritability. Higher scores indicate difficulty relaxing, increased reactivity, and a sense of being overwhelmed or overburdened.

• Total Score – overall level of emotional distress.