DASS-21 — evidence overview

Static explainer for the DASS-21 instrument as presented inside the Help Is Coming hub. Tracker-free. Not a clinical guide and not a diagnosis.

What DASS-21 is

DASS-21 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, 21-item short form) is a validated self-report questionnaire. People rate how much each statement applied to them over a recent period. Scoring yields three subscale scores commonly labeled Depression, Anxiety, and Stress.

Primary references include Lovibond & Lovibond (1995) and supporting short-form validity work (for example Henry & Crawford, 2005).

Rights for commercial app use

The official DASS FAQ states that the questionnaire is in the public domain and that permission is not needed to use it, and that it may be downloaded and copied without restriction, with the note that the scale itself may not be re-sold as a standalone product to another person. Charging for a service that includes the DASS is treated as acceptable when the instrument is used rather than sold.

Help Is Coming uses DASS-21 inside the hub for private self-assessment. It does not sell the questionnaire as a standalone product.

How Help Is Coming presents it

  • Administered inside the Help Is Coming app for adults 18 and over

  • Answers and scores stay on the device

  • Results use plain language for personal reflection

  • The app does not claim diagnosis, screening for clinical care, prevention, or treatment

  • Scores describe how you answered for that administration; they are not labels about who you are

What this page is not

  • Not medical advice

  • Not a crisis service

  • Not an invitation to self-diagnose

If you are in crisis, feel unsafe, or may be in danger, contact local emergency services or a crisis helpline in your area right away.

Get the app

Help Is Coming is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play under the publisher HELPISCOMING LLC. Assessments, scores, and results remain free.