Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
14-item screening for anxiety and depression in medical settings
Feeling off but medical tests keep coming back normal? It could be anxiety or depression speaking. The HADS is designed for medical settings — 14 questions, about 3 minutes. It excludes physical symptoms to avoid confusion with medical conditions.
Feeling off while you are in the hospital?
The HADS measures anxiety and depression specifically in medical settings. What makes it different is that it skips somatic symptoms (insomnia, appetite loss, fatigue) — because those are common in hospital patients whether they are depressed or not. Asking about them would muddy the picture. 14 items, 7 for anxiety and 7 for depression. Zigmond and Snaith designed it this way in 1983.
Where it works best
Because it excludes physical symptoms, HADS is especially useful for:
- Outpatient screening in general hospitals
- Mental health checks for people with chronic illness
- Quick emotional health screening during routine physicals
Scoring
Two subscales, 7 items each (0-3 per item):
- Anxiety (HADS-A): tension, worry, fear
- Depression (HADS-D): loss of interest, reduced enjoyment
Quick facts
- Internal consistency: alpha = 0.83 (anxiety), 0.82 (depression)
- Two-factor structure confirmed across multiple populations
Result Interpretation
After completing the 14 questions, you'll receive an immediate, detailed report with:
- Your score — calculated automatically based on your responses
- Score interpretation — what your score means in practical terms
- Dimension breakdown — separate scores for each sub-scale
- Context — how your results compare to general population norms where available
All results are displayed on screen. No account or login needed.