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HOLISTIC LIVING MUMBAI · ASSESSMENT GUIDE
Clinical assessment tests for mental health: what each one measures, when it may help, and what the result can—and cannot—tell you.
Questionnaires can help describe symptoms and track change. Structured diagnostic interviews can support diagnosis when used by qualified clinicians. Your history, context and conversation remain essential.
This is an educational guide to commonly used tools. It does not mean that every test is offered at Holistic Living.
Begin with what you are experiencing, how it affects daily life and what you want help with.
A professional selects a relevant tool, explains its purpose and checks that its language and format suit you.
Discuss the result in context, agree next steps and review change when repeating a measure is useful.
EXPLORE · 01
These tests measure how strong anxiety, social fear and panic are, and how they change during therapy.
Self-report · 7 questions · 2 minutes
The GAD-7 is a seven-question self-report screen for generalised anxiety. Scores from 0 to 21 grade symptoms as minimal, mild, moderate or severe. Counsellors use it at intake and again during treatment, because it quickly shows whether worry is clinically significant and whether therapy is helping.
Clinician-rated · 14 items · 15 minutes
The HAM-A is a clinician-rated scale covering 14 anxiety symptoms, from tension and fear to physical complaints like palpitations. A trained professional scores it after interview. It is widely used in clinical practice and research to judge anxiety severity and track change across treatment.
Self-report · 21 items · 5 to 10 minutes
The BAI measures the severity of anxiety symptoms, with emphasis on physical sensations. It can help track change but cannot establish the cause of symptoms or reliably distinguish anxiety from depression on its own.
Self-report · 40 items · 10 minutes
The STAI measures two things: state anxiety, how anxious you feel right now, and trait anxiety, how anxious you tend to be in general. This distinction helps therapists decide whether distress is situational or a lasting pattern, and shape the treatment plan accordingly.
Self-report · 17 items · 5 minutes
The SPIN is a 17-item self-report scale that screens for social anxiety, measuring fear of judgement, avoidance of social situations and physical reactions like blushing. It helps therapists recognise social anxiety that is often mistaken for shyness, and monitor progress during exposure-based therapy.
Clinician or self-report · 7 items · 5 to 10 minutes
The PDSS assesses panic disorder severity across seven areas, including attack frequency, distress, avoidance and interference with daily life. Clinician-rated and self-report versions exist. It helps monitor change but does not confirm a diagnosis on its own.
EXPLORE · 02
These tests screen for depression and mood swings, rate their severity, and help clinicians decide on the right level of care.
Self-report · 9 questions · 2 minutes
The PHQ-9 is a nine-question self-report tool that screens for depression and grades its severity from 0 to 27. It mirrors the diagnostic symptoms of major depression, so it is used worldwide in counselling and primary care to detect depression early and track recovery.
Self-report · 21 items · 5 to 10 minutes
The BDI-II is a 21-item self-report inventory measuring the severity of depressive symptoms such as sadness, guilt, fatigue and loss of interest. Therapists use it at the start and at intervals to see whether mood is improving and whether the treatment approach needs adjusting.
Clinician-rated · 17 items · 20 minutes
The HAM-D is a clinician-rated scale, usually 17 items, that assesses depression severity through interview. It places strong weight on sleep, appetite and physical symptoms. It remains a standard measure in clinical trials and psychiatric practice for judging how well treatment is working.
Clinician-rated · 10 items · 15 minutes
The MADRS is a ten-item clinician-rated scale designed to pick up small changes in depression. It centres on core mood symptoms such as sadness, tension and pessimism, which makes it especially useful for tracking how a person responds to therapy or medication over weeks.
Self-report · 10 questions · 5 minutes
The EPDS is a ten-question screen built for new mothers, asking about mood and anxiety over the past week while avoiding physical symptoms common after childbirth. It helps identify postnatal depression early, so that women can be offered timely support instead of suffering silently.
Self-report · 13 yes/no items · 5 minutes
The MDQ is a short yes-or-no questionnaire that screens for bipolar spectrum disorder by asking about past episodes of unusually high energy, reduced sleep and impulsive behaviour. It matters because bipolar depression is often misdiagnosed as ordinary depression, and needs a different treatment approach.
EXPLORE · 03
Safety assessment is a clinical responsibility. Risk tools support, but never replace, a professional’s judgement.
Clinician-administered · brief structured interview
The C-SSRS supports structured questions about suicidal thoughts and behaviour. Trained staff use it within a broader safety assessment and care plan. No score reliably predicts future suicide, and scores must not determine access to care or discharge.
EXPLORE · 04
These tests capture overall emotional strain, stress and wellbeing, which suits everyday pressure that does not fit one neat label.
Self-report · 21 items · 5 to 10 minutes
The DASS-21 provides separate scores for depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. It helps describe overlapping distress and monitor change, but cannot identify a single cause or diagnose a disorder.
Self-report · 10 questions · 2 minutes
The K10 is a ten-question measure of non-specific psychological distress over the past four weeks, covering nervousness, hopelessness and fatigue. It is used in health surveys and clinics globally to flag people who may benefit from further assessment, even when no specific condition is yet named.
Self-report · 12 items · 3 minutes
The GHQ-12 is a twelve-item screen for common mental health problems, asking whether recent experience differs from your usual self. It is widely used in workplaces and community studies to detect emerging distress early, before it develops into a more serious or lasting difficulty.
Self-report · 5 questions · 1 minute
The WHO-5 is a five-question index of positive wellbeing, asking about cheerfulness, calm, energy and interest in daily life. A low score can signal possible depression, while repeated scores show whether therapy is genuinely improving quality of life, not just reducing symptoms.
Self-report · 10 questions · 3 minutes
The PSS-10 measures how unpredictable, uncontrollable and overloaded a person finds their life over the past month. It focuses on perception rather than events, so it helps therapists understand why two people facing identical pressures can feel very differently, and guides stress management work.
Self-report · version-dependent length and administration time
The MBI assesses dimensions of burnout using versions suited to different occupational groups. Item counts and wording vary by version. Burnout and depression can overlap; the inventory does not distinguish them diagnostically.
EXPLORE · 05
These tests assess traumatic stress and early life adversity. Trauma-informed professionals use them carefully, paced to what you are ready for.
Self-report · 20 items · 5 to 10 minutes
The PCL-5 is a 20-item self-report checklist matching the DSM-5 symptoms of post-traumatic stress, including intrusive memories, avoidance, negative mood and hyperarousal. It screens for PTSD, provides a severity score, and tracks symptom change during trauma-focused therapy.
Clinician-administered · structured interview · about 60 minutes
The CAPS-5 is a structured clinical interview regarded as the gold standard for diagnosing PTSD. A trained clinician explores each symptom, its frequency and its impact. It provides a reliable diagnosis and severity rating, which matters when treatment decisions, legal needs or complex trauma are involved.
Self-report · 22 items · 10 minutes
The IES-R is a 22-item self-report scale measuring distress after a specific stressful event, across intrusion, avoidance and hyperarousal. It is useful after accidents, loss or assault, helping professionals gauge how strongly an event is still affecting someone and whether specialist trauma care is needed.
Self-report · 10 questions · 5 minutes
The ACE questionnaire counts ten categories of childhood adversity, including abuse, neglect and household dysfunction. It is a risk-awareness tool, not a diagnosis. Therapists use it to understand how early experiences may shape present anxiety, relationships and health, especially in inner child and trauma work.
EXPLORE · 06
These tests screen for patterns that are often missed or misread in adults, such as obsessions, attention difficulties and autistic traits.
Clinician-rated · 10 items · 20 minutes
The Y-BOCS is a clinician-rated measure of obsessive-compulsive symptom severity. It supports treatment planning and monitoring, including exposure and response prevention, but does not establish an OCD diagnosis on its own.
Self-report · 6-question screener, 18 items in full
The ASRS is a World Health Organization-backed self-report screen for adult ADHD, covering inattention, restlessness and impulsivity. A short six-question version flags who needs full evaluation. It matters because adult ADHD is often mistaken for anxiety, laziness or disorganisation, and goes untreated for years.
Self-report · 50 items · 10 minutes
The AQ is a 50-item self-report questionnaire measuring autistic traits in adults with typical intelligence, across social skills, communication and attention to detail. It is a screening tool only. A high score suggests a specialist evaluation could be worthwhile, not that a diagnosis exists.
EXPLORE · 07
These brief screens check memory, attention and thinking, often when stress, depression or ageing raises concerns about cognition.
Clinician-administered · 30 points · 10 minutes
The MoCA is a ten-minute, 30-point screen of memory, attention, language, visuospatial skills and executive function. It is more sensitive than many older tools for detecting mild cognitive impairment. Results indicate whether fuller neurological or neuropsychological evaluation is advisable.
Clinician-administered · 30 points · 10 minutes
The MMSE is a 30-point bedside test of orientation, memory, attention and language. Used for decades worldwide, it offers a quick estimate of cognitive status and helps track decline over time. It is less sensitive to very mild impairment, so professionals often pair it with other measures.
EXPLORE · 08
These tests look at behaviours that both cause and result from emotional distress, and often sit underneath anxiety and low mood.
Self-report or interview · 10 questions · 3 minutes
The AUDIT is a ten-question screen developed by the World Health Organization to identify hazardous and harmful alcohol use. Scores guide the response, from simple advice to specialist referral. It is used globally because early detection of risky drinking prevents serious harm to health and relationships.
Self-report · 10 yes/no questions · 3 minutes
The DAST-10 is a ten-item yes-or-no screen for drug use problems over the past twelve months, excluding alcohol. It gives a quick severity indication and shows whether further assessment is needed. Counsellors use it to open a non-judgemental conversation about substance use alongside emotional difficulties.
Self-report · 7 questions · 2 minutes
The ISI is a seven-question measure of insomnia severity, covering difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep and the daytime impact. Poor sleep both fuels and results from anxiety and depression, so therapists use the ISI to decide whether sleep itself needs treating, and to track improvement.
Self-report · 26 items · 5 minutes
The EAT-26 is a 26-item self-report screen for symptoms and concerns related to eating disorders, including dieting, food preoccupation and bulimic behaviour. It identifies who needs a fuller assessment. Early detection matters because eating difficulties are often hidden and can seriously affect physical health.
EXPLORE · 09
These tools look at how partners and family members relate, communicate and attach, and are used in couple, marriage and family counselling.
Self-report · 32 items · 10 minutes
The DAS is a 32-item self-report scale measuring the quality of a couple relationship across satisfaction, cohesion, consensus and affection. Each partner completes it separately. Therapists use it to see how the partners experience the relationship differently, set a baseline, and track progress in couple therapy.
Self-report · 36 items · 10 minutes
The ECR-R measures adult attachment style on two dimensions: anxiety about abandonment and avoidance of closeness. It helps explain why a person clings, withdraws or struggles to trust in relationships. Therapists use it to understand recurring patterns and guide attachment-informed couple and individual work.
Self-report · 60 items · 15 minutes
The FAD is a 60-item self-report questionnaire measuring how a family functions, including problem solving, communication, roles, emotional involvement and behaviour control. Family counsellors use it to identify where family patterns help or hurt, and to focus sessions on the areas needing the most attention.
EXPLORE · 10
These comprehensive tools are used by psychologists and psychiatrists for in-depth evaluation. They require professional training to administer and interpret.
Self-report · 567 items · 60 to 90 minutes · psychologist-administered
The MMPI-2 is a 567-item self-report inventory that profiles personality and psychological difficulties across many clinical scales, plus validity scales that check response style. It is one of the most researched tests worldwide, used for in-depth evaluation, and must be interpreted by a trained psychologist.
Clinician-administered · structured interview · 1 to 2 hours
The SCID-5 is a structured interview that walks a clinician through the DSM-5 criteria for major mental health conditions. It supports accurate diagnosis by ensuring no criterion is missed. It is a standard in research and specialist clinical settings, and requires trained professionals to administer it.
Clinician-administered · short structured interview · 15 to 30 minutes
The MINI is a brief structured diagnostic interview covering the most common psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, mania, psychosis and substance use. It offers a faster alternative to longer interviews, making it practical for busy clinics, and helps confirm which conditions deserve a closer look.
Clinical assessment tests are structured questionnaires and interviews that measure symptoms such as anxiety, depression or trauma. Professionals use them to understand severity, guide treatment and track progress objectively.
No. Online or self-report tests only screen for possible symptoms. A diagnosis needs a qualified professional who combines your scores with a clinical interview, personal history and your daily life.
The GAD-7 is a commonly used brief anxiety screen. HAM-A, BAI, STAI, SPIN and PDSS may also be used, depending on the concern and the professional’s judgement.
The PHQ-9 is a widely used depression questionnaire. Other tools include BDI-II, HAM-D and MADRS, while the EPDS screens for perinatal depressive symptoms.
No. A qualified professional chooses only the tests relevant to your concern. Most people complete one to three short questionnaires, and many first sessions need none beyond a conversation.
Yes. Assessment results are part of your confidential clinical record and are shared only with your consent, apart from the usual legal exceptions involving serious risk to you or others.
Short measures such as the GAD-7 or PHQ-9 are often repeated every few sessions. This gives you and your therapist clear evidence of progress and shows when the approach needs adjusting.
Required training and permissions depend on the instrument, local rules and publisher requirements. Brief screeners may be used by trained practitioners; specialist cognitive, personality and diagnostic assessments need appropriately qualified professionals.
You do not need to pick a test or know your diagnosis. Book a free 10-minute consultation, tell us what you are experiencing, and a qualified specialist will suggest the most relevant next step, including any assessment if it is needed.
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