Psychological distress (K10)
Emotional strain over the past month. Answer the app’s questionnaire and see your result right away.
Source · Kessler RC, Andrews G, Colpe LJ, et al. Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychol Med. 2002;32(6):959–976.
K10: looking back at the past month
The K10 is a 10-question scale developed by Kessler and colleagues in 2002 to monitor psychological distress in the population. Rather than one diagnosis, it looks at general distress that spans anxiety and depression: tiredness for no good reason, nervousness, restlessness, hopelessness, feeling depressed, feeling that everything is an effort and feeling worthless. You indicate how often you had each feeling during the past 30 days, from none of the time to all of the time.
Reading your results
Each question scores 1–5, so totals run from 10 to 50. The result screen shows 19 or below as low, 20–24 as mild, 25–29 as moderate and 30–50 as severe. Comparing the nervous and restless questions with the hopeless and depressed ones hints at whether anxiety or low mood is playing the bigger part. A diagnosis is made in a clinical conversation. A score of 25 or more, or a whole month of struggling, is a reason to talk with a professional.
A question to reflect on
Mark every question you answered 'most of the time' or 'all of the time', then note what was happening when those feelings first started to grow. Knowing where the distress began helps you decide what to work on first.
Frequently asked questions
- How many questions are in Psychological distress (K10), and how long does it take?
- There are 10 questions, and it usually takes about 2 minutes. For each question you choose one of 5 answers, from “None of the time” to “All of the time”. There are no right or wrong answers.
- Is the K10 a depression test or an anxiety test?
- Neither one alone. It measures overall distress across both. To see which is larger, take the PHQ-9 or GAD-7 alongside it.
- Why is the lowest score 10?
- Every question scores at least 1, even for 'none of the time', so totals start at 10 and go up to 50.
- Should I take it monthly?
- It asks about the past 30 days, so monthly fits well. Noting big changes that month, like a move or exams, makes the trend easier to read later.
- Do I need to sign in? Are my answers saved?
- You can see your results right away without signing in. Your answers are used only for scoring and are not stored on our servers.
- Can I bring these results into a counseling session?
- Use the analysis button at the bottom of the result screen to have a short conversation with Maeumi without signing in. After the conversation, you can continue in the app. The web conversation does not transfer automatically to the app.
- Can I share my results with a friend?
- Yes. Use Share at the top right of the result screen to send a friend the check itself, or share your result as a link or story image. A result link carries your scores inside the address only; it does not include your name or account, and nothing is saved on our side.