Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6)
The K6 is the six-item form of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. It asks how often six feelings occurred during the past 30 days and produces a published score from 0 to 24. It does not provide a diagnosis.
- Scientific name
- Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6)
- Primary reference
- Kessler RC, Barker PR, Colpe LJ, et al. Screening for Serious Mental Illness in the General Population. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2003;60(2):184–189. Open publication
- Time
- 2 min
- Length
- 6 questions
- Cost
- Free basic result
- Age
- Adults 18+
What this covers
- Psychological distress
- Frequency of the six feelings included in the K6 during the past 30 days.
Who it is for
Adults who want a very brief check of how frequently they experienced general emotional distress during the past month.
What your result can show
The six responses are summed to a score from 0 to 24. A higher score means the listed feelings were reported more frequently. NuraCheck does not use the score to classify a condition.
Important limitations
The K6 is a broad population measure. It cannot identify why distress occurred or replace a contextual assessment by a qualified professional.
A higher score does not establish a diagnosis. A lower score does not show that a condition is absent.
Evidence and permission
K6 © Ronald C. Kessler, PhD. All rights reserved. Used under the author's published free-use terms.
Your answers and result stay on this device. After completion, you can separately choose to upload derived scores for a private link that expires after 180 days.