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)
- Sensitivity at cutoff >= 8: 70-90%
- Two-factor structure confirmed across multiple populations
Scoring Guide
HADS has two subscales: Anxiety (A, 7 items) and Depression (D, 7 items). Each item scored 0-3, subscale totals range 0-21. 6 reverse-scored items (4, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14). 0-7=Normal, 8-10=Borderline, 11-21=Abnormal.Result Interpretation
Finish the 14 questions and you get your results straight away — no account, no sign-up, no waiting.
We calculate your total from your answers, then give you a plain-language explanation of what the numbers mean. Where a test has sub-scales, each dimension gets its own score. Whenever possible, we also show how your results compare to population norms.
详细报告 📊
Get an in-depth analysis with dimension breakdowns, population comparisons, and actionable recommendations.