DASS-21 score interpretation: reading your three scores

The DASS-21 gives you three separate scores, for low mood (the depression scale), anxiety and stress, each running from 0 to 42 after the seven answers on that scale are added up and doubled. Each scale has its own cut-offs: a depression score of 14, an anxiety score of 10 and a stress score of 19 are all where “moderate” begins. The scores describe the past week only, so they show what has been weighing on you lately and whether it’s worth talking to a doctor, not whether you have depression or an anxiety disorder.

What does the DASS-21 measure?

The DASS-21 measures low mood, anxiety and stress over the past week. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales were developed by psychologists Syd Lovibond and Peter Lovibond at the University of New South Wales and published in 1995. The full version has 42 statements; the DASS-21 is the short form, with 21 statements, seven for each scale. It’s widely used by doctors, psychologists and researchers because it’s free, quick and separates three experiences that often get lumped together.

The stress scale is the unusual part. While building the questionnaire, the Lovibonds found that statements about tension, irritability and difficulty relaxing hung together as their own group, distinct from low mood and from the physical side of anxiety. That group became the stress scale. Most other short questionnaires don’t measure it at all.

Every statement asks how much something applied to you over the past week. If you haven’t taken it yet, the mood, anxiety and stress test on Sprout uses the DASS-21 and takes about six minutes. Taking the test is free; results need Sprout Plus (7 days free).

How do you score the DASS-21 by hand?

Give each answer a number, add up the seven answers on each scale, then double each total. Every statement has four possible answers:

• Not at all: 0
• A little, or some of the time: 1
• Quite a lot, or often: 2
• Very much, or most of the time: 3

The statements are mixed together on the form, so it helps to know which belong where. Using the usual numbering from 1 to 21:

For example, if your seven depression answers were 1, 0, 2, 1, 1, 0 and 1, they add up to 6. Doubled, that’s a depression score of 12. Do the same for the other two scales and you have three scores between 0 and 42.

Why are DASS-21 scores doubled?

Doubling makes the short-form scores comparable with the full 42-statement version, which has fourteen statements per scale instead of seven. The published cut-offs were worked out on the long version, so doubling lets you use them without a separate table.

Some apps, worksheets and research papers report the raw totals (0 to 21) without doubling, and some use the doubled ones (0 to 42). If you compare a raw score with the doubled cut-offs, you’ll read the result as lower than it is; if you double a score that was already doubled, you’ll read it as higher. Before reading a result against any table, check which kind it is. On Sprout, the scores you see are already doubled.

What are the cut-off scores for the DASS-21?

Each scale has its own five bands. Sprout’s names are on the left; the names in the Lovibonds’ manual are in brackets.

The cut-offs differ because the scales behave differently. They were set from how scores were spread across the large group of adults the Lovibonds tested, not from diagnoses, and people tend to agree with the stress statements more often than with the anxiety ones. So the same number means different things on different scales: 12 is mild for low mood, moderate for anxiety and few signs for stress.

The manual’s word “severe” can sound alarming. It means your score was high compared with most people in that original group, not that a professional has judged your situation severe. The Lovibonds themselves describe the scales as measuring how much of something you’re feeling along a continuum, rather than sorting people into those with and without a disorder.

What does a DASS-21 depression score mean?

The depression scale, which Sprout calls low mood, asks about feeling flat, down or without hope over the past week. It leans towards the loss of positive feelings: not enjoying anything, not being able to get going, having nothing to look forward to.

• 0 to 9, few signs: low mood hasn’t bothered you much this week, and your mood seems fairly steady.
• 10 to 13, mild: some moments of feeling flat or down, or struggling to get started. Very common, and often passes. Gentle routines, time outside and small things you enjoy can help.
• 14 to 20, moderate: low mood has been showing up quite a bit, and it may have been hard to feel positive or look forward to anything. You don’t need to wait for it to get worse before asking for help.
• 21 to 27, high: low mood has been strong and hard to shake. Please consider speaking to a doctor soon.
• 28 to 42, very high: low mood has felt heavy most of the time. Please reach out to a doctor soon, because you deserve support with it.

One statement deserves attention on its own, whatever your total: the last one, “I felt that life was meaningless”. If you answered “quite a lot” or more, it’s worth telling someone you trust or a doctor, even if the rest of your scores look fine. If you ever feel unsafe, contact your local emergency number straight away.

If you want a second view of low mood, the PHQ-9 asks about the last two weeks and follows the signs doctors use to assess depression more closely. The PHQ-9 score ranges show how it’s read.

What does the DASS-21 anxiety score pick up?

The anxiety scale is mostly about the body. Four of its seven statements ask about physical signs: a dry mouth, trouble breathing, trembling hands and a racing heart without exercise. The other three ask about worrying that you might panic, feeling close to panic and feeling scared for no good reason.

• 0 to 7, few signs: your body has felt fairly settled this week.
• 8 to 9, mild: a few physical signs now and then. Slow breathing, movement and less caffeine can help your body settle.
• 10 to 14, moderate: anxiety has been showing up in your body quite a lot. Unpleasant, very common, and responsive to support.
• 15 to 19, high: strong physical anxiety, with signs like breathlessness or feeling close to panic showing up often. Worth getting support soon rather than waiting.
• 20 to 42, very high: anxiety has felt intense much of the time. Talking to someone soon could make a real difference.

Because of that focus on the body, the DASS-21 anxiety score and the GAD-7 don’t always agree. The GAD-7 asks mostly about worry: not being able to stop it, worrying about many things, finding it hard to relax. Someone who worries constantly but rarely feels it physically may score higher on the GAD-7 than on the DASS anxiety scale, and someone with a pounding heart and a calm mind may show the opposite. Reading a GAD-7 result covers the worry side, and anxiety felt mainly physically looks at what it means when the body is alarmed and the mind isn’t.

Physical signs can have other causes too. If a racing heart, breathlessness or shaking is new or worrying you, a doctor should check for medical causes first.

What does a high stress score on the DASS-21 mean?

A high stress score means you’ve felt tense, wound up and easily irritated for much of the past week: finding it hard to relax, overreacting, running on nervous energy, getting impatient with anything in your way.

• 0 to 14, few signs: tension hasn’t been bothering you much.
• 15 to 18, mild: somewhat tense or wound up at times. Breaks, movement, sleep and doing less where you can may help.
• 19 to 25, moderate: stress has been showing up a lot, and it may have been hard to wind down. Looking at what’s putting pressure on you, and getting help with some of it, can make a difference.
• 26 to 33, high: strong, constant stress. Living like this wears you down, so it’s worth asking for support rather than pushing through alone.
• 34 to 42, very high: stress has been intense most of the time. Please don’t carry it alone; talking to someone soon can help you find some breathing space.

The stress bands start higher than the others because most people agree with some of these statements in an ordinary busy week. A stress score that stays high week after week, especially with exhaustion and a growing distance from work, can be a sign of something longer-running; the post on early signs of burnout describes that pattern. For a longer view, the 10-question stress test uses the Perceived Stress Scale, which looks at the past month, and the post on Perceived Stress Scale scores explains how it’s read.

How should you read the three scores together?

Compare each score with its own cut-offs, then look at which are raised. The DASS-21 separates experiences that can feel similar, helping you see whether low mood, physical anxiety or stress is most prominent.

All three low

The past week has been fairly manageable. If you still feel something is off, trust that feeling: the questionnaire only covers 21 statements and seven days.

Stress raised, the others low

You’re under pressure but not, at the moment, stuck in low mood or physical fear. This usually points to the load itself, such as work, caring, money or a busy season, and to practical changes and rest. The difference between pressure and fear is explained in the post on telling stress from anxiety.

Anxiety raised, the others lower

Your body has been in alarm mode more than your circumstances seem to explain. This is the pattern most worth mentioning to a doctor alongside any physical symptoms, and slow breathing can help in the moment.

Low mood raised, the others lower

Flatness, low energy and a lack of interest have been the main thing. This can go unnoticed because it doesn’t feel dramatic, but a moderate or higher low mood score on its own is a good reason to talk to a doctor.

Stress and low mood both raised

Long periods of pressure often wear mood down, and this combination is common when stress has gone on for a while. It’s worth acting on the pressure and getting support for the mood, rather than treating one and ignoring the other.

All three raised

The three scales are separate, but they often rise together, especially in hard times. A result like this is a clear sign that things have been difficult across the board, and a good reason to see a doctor soon.

Is a DASS-21 result a diagnosis?

No. A DASS-21 score shows how much low mood, anxiety and stress you’ve felt in the past week, but only a doctor or other professional can assess depression or an anxiety disorder. A questionnaire can’t take your history, look at how long things have been going on, or rule out other causes such as thyroid problems, medicines, poor sleep or a recent illness.

What a score can do is give you words and a number to bring to an appointment. Saying “my DASS-21 scores were 18 for low mood, 12 for anxiety and 28 for stress” is a concrete starting point, and doctors and psychologists will recognise it.

Should you take the DASS-21, the PHQ-9 or the GAD-7?

Choose the DASS-21 when you want to compare low mood, anxiety and stress over one week. Choose the PHQ-9 for a closer look at low mood or the GAD-7 for worry; both cover two weeks and are the questionnaires GPs use most often.

• Not sure what’s going on? The DASS-21 is a good first look, because it shows which of the three stands out.
• Mainly worried about depression? The PHQ-9 follows the signs used to assess it more closely.
• Mainly worried about constant worry? The GAD-7 is built for that.
• Tracking a busy period? The DASS-21 every two weeks shows how stress and mood are moving together.

Taking more than one is fine, as long as you remember that they ask about slightly different things and different time spans, so they won’t always agree.

When is it worth talking to a doctor about your scores?

When any of the three scores is moderate or higher, when the scores stay raised over several weeks, or when how you feel is affecting your sleep, work or relationships, whatever the numbers say. You don’t need a particular score to deserve help.

Low mood, anxiety and stress all respond to support. Talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy have a strong track record for low mood and anxiety, and a doctor can explain the treatment options available to you. For stress, help often starts with the practical: what can be dropped, shared or postponed.

How often should you retake the DASS-21?

Every two weeks works well. Because it covers only the past week, scores can move quickly, and one result is a snapshot rather than the full picture. A single bad week can lift all three, and a calm holiday can lower them.

The trend is what matters. Scores that drift down after you’ve started sleeping better, cut back on commitments or begun therapy suggest something is working. Scores that keep creeping up, even within the same band, are a sign to get support rather than wait.

What should you record alongside your DASS-21 result?

Write down your three scores, the date and a line about what the week was like. Look at which score is highest compared with its own cut-offs, not which number is biggest. If any score is moderate or higher, book a conversation with a doctor; if all three are low or mild, keep an eye on them and retake the test in a couple of weeks.

If you’d like to see your own three scores side by side, the 21-statement DASS check takes about six minutes and shows each score against its own bands.