Free distress check (K10)

A quick, private check based on the K10. Free, scored on your device, and yours to keep.

Start the check
10 questions, takes about 2 minutes. Nothing is saved.
10 questions Takes about 2 minutes Scored privately in your browser

These questions concern how you have been feeling over the past 30 days. Pick the answer under each question that best represents how you have been.

During the last 30 days, about how often did you feel tired out for no good reason?
During the last 30 days, about how often did you feel nervous?
During the last 30 days, about how often did you feel so nervous that nothing could calm you down?
During the last 30 days, about how often did you feel hopeless?
During the last 30 days, about how often did you feel restless or fidgety?
During the last 30 days, about how often did you feel so restless you could not sit still?
During the last 30 days, about how often did you feel depressed?
During the last 30 days, about how often did you feel that everything was an effort?
During the last 30 days, about how often did you feel so sad that nothing could cheer you up?
During the last 30 days, about how often did you feel worthless?

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What this check measures

The K10 asks how often, over the past 30 days, you felt things like tired for no good reason, nervous, restless, or that everything was an effort. Your answers add up to a single score from 10 to 50 that reflects general psychological distress.

How the scoring works

Each answer is worth 1 to 5 points, from none of the time to all of the time, and the ten add up to a score between 10 and 50. The higher the total, the more distress you are reporting. These bands are a common way to read the result:

ScoreWhat it suggests
10-19Likely to be well
20-24Mild distress
25-29Moderate distress
30-50High distress

What it cannot tell you

A score cannot diagnose any condition, and it cannot see what your month has actually held. It is a prompt for reflection and, if the number is worrying you, a good reason to talk with your doctor or a counsellor.

This is a free distress check based on the K10, a ten-question screening scale used by health services worldwide. It takes about two minutes and is scored the moment you finish, privately, in your browser. It measures how heavily things have been weighing on you lately; it is a screening tool, not a diagnosis.

Questions people ask

Is this a diagnosis?

No. The K10 is a screening tool that measures general distress; it does not diagnose. A high score is a good reason to talk with a professional, not a conclusion on its own.

How accurate is the K10?

The K10 is one of the most widely used distress screens; health services and family doctors often use it as a first look. It is good at flagging when something deserves attention. It cannot say what is causing it or why; that is a conversation.

Who sees my answers?

No one. The check runs entirely in your browser, and nothing you answer is sent or stored. If you book a review, you choose what to share.

What should I do with my score?

Save the page first, because nothing is stored here. If your score sits in the moderate range or above, or the number is worrying you, bring it to your doctor or a counsellor; a free consultation is an easy place to start.

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This is a free screening tool, not a diagnosis. It can help you notice patterns and decide whether to reach out. Your answers stay on your device; nothing is sent or saved.

References
  • 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.
  • 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.

About this tool. Introspectus Counselling is a counselling practice. Sean Lewis is a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC), not a physician or registered psychologist. This tool is educational and cannot provide a diagnosis. For a formal diagnosis or a disability assessment, please see a physician or registered psychologist.

K10 (c) Ronald C. Kessler, PhD. All rights reserved. Reproduced under the free-use terms published by the National Comorbidity Survey group at Harvard Medical School (hcp.med.harvard.edu/ncs/k6_scales.php); items unmodified from the Australian K10 version.

Reviewed by Sean Lewis, Canadian Certified Counsellor · Introspectus Counselling, Colwood BC · Last updated July 2026