The test presented here is the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), developed by Ronald C. Kessler and Daniel K. Mroczek in collaboration with the US National Center for Health Statistics, and later adopted by the World Health Organization's World Mental Health Initiative. It is a 10-item questionnaire assessing non-specific psychological distress — a combination of anxious and depressive symptoms — over the past 30 days.
The test is designed for self-completion and takes about 2–3 minutes. Each item is rated on how often you felt that way during the past month, from "none of the time" to "all of the time". The total score is calculated by summing all 10 items, giving a range of 10 to 50. The result is not a medical diagnosis and does not replace consultation with a specialist.
Stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression are often intertwined in practice and can reinforce one another. If exhaustion or feeling detached from work concerns you more, our burnout tests may help. If you are more concerned about anxiety, tension, or worry, our anxiety test may help. If you are more concerned about low mood, loss of interest, or lack of energy, our depression test may help. If you are struggling with sleep, try our sleep tests.