Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)
When to use
Brief screening for non-specific psychological distress; alternative or complement to PHQ-9/GAD-7 when a non-specific measure is preferred.
Instructions
The following questions ask about how you have been feeling during the past 30 days.
Alert threshold: 25
Score ≥25: structured evaluation with PHQ-9 + GAD-7. ≥30: refer to mental-health services.
Source and citation
Kessler RC et al. Psychol Med 2002;32(6):959-76 · 2002
Validated version (en-GB): Kessler RC, Andrews G, Colpe LJ, Hiripi E, Mroczek DK, Normand SL, Walters EE, Zaslavsky AM. Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychol Med 2002;32(6):959-76.
Open in the full websiteDecision support only: it does not replace clinical judgement.