Low mood, worry and strain: a quick self-check
Fifteen statements about the last few weeks, about 2 minutes. Your result puts three things in order, from the one that showed up most to the one that showed up least: low mood, worry, and strain, meaning tension that won't ease. They can come apart: one can be high while the others are low.
A quick look at the last few weeks, and no diagnosis. If any of the three has been heavy for weeks, or gets in the way of work, sleep or the people close to you, a doctor or psychologist can assess it properly.
Our own statements, written for this guide from the plain description of low mood, worry and tension, and untested: five for each. This check is not the DASS-21, a questionnaire clinicians use, which has its own page in the library. It gives no scores of its own and no severity labels. It shows only which of the three came out highest. Five statements for each is few, so read the order as rough. It describes the last few weeks as you answered today, and it is no diagnosis.
- Low mood: A heavy or flat mood, less pleasure, a hard time picturing things improving, and little drive.
- Worry: Worry about what might go wrong, a sense of dread, and fear that shows in the body or leads to avoiding things.
- Strain: Tension that stays, a short fuse, and the feeling of having more to carry than you can.