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Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)

Tiredness, nerves, restlessness and low mood over the past 30 days: how much distress you are carrying.

10 items · About 2 min

Some questions ask about low mood and thoughts of self-harm. If you are struggling right now, the helplines are at the bottom of the page. Need someone to talk to?

How to answerThe following questions ask about how you have been feeling during the past 30 days. For each question, please choose the answer that best describes how often you had this feeling.

  1. How often did you feel tired out for no good reason?
  2. How often did you feel nervous?
  3. How often did you feel so nervous that nothing could calm you down?
  4. How often did you feel hopeless?
  5. How often did you feel restless or fidgety?
  6. How often did you feel so restless that you could not sit still?
  7. How often did you feel depressed?
  8. How often did you feel so depressed that nothing could cheer you up?
  9. How often did you feel that everything was an effort?
  10. How often did you feel worthless?
0 of 10 answered
About this scale

The K10 uses ten questions to gauge overall psychological distress over the past month, including tiredness, nervousness, restlessness and low mood. It is widely used in population surveys and for initial screening. Higher scores mean more distress; it shows how much attention is warranted, but it is not a diagnosis.

SourceKessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D. K., Normand, S.-L. T., Walters, E. E., & Zaslavsky, A. M. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959–976. Kessler, R. C., Barker, P. R., Colpe, L. J., Epstein, J. F., Gfroerer, J. C., Hiripi, E., Howes, M. J., Normand, S.-L. T., Manderscheid, R. W., Walters, E. E., & Zaslavsky, A. M. (2003). Screening for serious mental illness in the general population. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60(2), 184–189. Bands from Andrews, G., & Slade, T. (2001). Interpreting scores on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 25(6), 494–497. Per Harvard's NCS scale page: “Use of the K6 and K10 is free and does not require any formal permission or approval.” Copyright © Ronald C. Kessler, PhD. All rights reserved.

Need someone to talk to?

If you are in distress or thinking about hurting yourself, contact one of the lines below now, or call emergency services. You don't have to carry this alone.

  • US: 988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineCall or text, 24/7 988
  • UK & Ireland: Samaritans24/7, free 116 123
  • Other countriesFind a free, confidential helpline near you findahelpline.com
  • EmergencyIf someone's life is in danger 112 / 911