Psychological Distress Self-Check — Free 10-Question Mind Burden Test
- Free
- 10 questions
- No sign-up
- Instant result
A free self-check of how heavy and tightly wound your mind has been over the past month, measured as a single load rather than split into anxiety and depression. Ten questions, about three minutes, with a 0-30 score and four bands to gauge how much you are carrying right now.
What's included
- Questions
- 10 items
- Price
- Free
- Areas measured
- Mental Burden
When this check is useful
There are times when you cannot tell whether it is depression or anxiety, just that your mind feels heavy. A pressed-down feeling continues without any particular event, small things set you off, worries will not stop once they start, your chest feels tight, and you cannot find the energy to begin what needs doing. Feeling especially bad before sleep or in the early hours, and choosing to be alone because being with people feels like too much, are common signals too.
Rather than pinpointing a specific problem, this check is built to quickly gauge the total load your mind is carrying right now. Because it asks about the past month, it is less swayed by day-to-day swings, and with ten items it takes under three minutes. The items were written by Soundary with reference to published literature; they cover the same topic as standard distress scales such as the K10 but are different items, not a translation or adaptation of any instrument.
What to do with your result
A score of 0-6 means the past month passed fairly lightly, so keep your current rhythm. A score of 7-14 is an early sign that the load is building: set a regular bedtime, carve out even ten minutes a day of doing nothing, then recheck in two to four weeks and compare.
A score of 15-22 indicates a marked load. When the mind is pressed this hard, sleep, concentration and seeing people tend to suffer together; this is not weakness but a common change when there is more to carry than usual. Consider talking to a psychiatrist or counsellor rather than enduring alone. A score of 23-30 suggests you are bearing a heavy weight almost every day: seek care or professional counselling as soon as you can and let someone close know. If you have thoughts of dying, get help immediately regardless of the score.
If the load came out marked, the next step is to see where it comes from. The PHQ-9 depression screen and the GAD-7 anxiety screen help separate the strands, and if work is the source, a job-stress or burnout check helps decide where to start.
How scores are interpreted
Mental Burden
This is the result of combining the total amount of burden your mind has been handling over the past month, without separating anxiety and depression (0-30 points). A lower score means your mind has been relatively light.
0–6pts · Light
Over the past month, your mind has generally been light. Even if there were difficult moments, they passed without holding you back for long. Keep up your current rhythm of sleeping well, eating well, and staying connected with people.
7–14pts · Mild
There were noticeable days when your mind felt weighed down or sensitive. Rather than a major problem, this is more of an early sign that burden is gradually accumulating. Try to maintain a consistent bedtime and set aside at least 10 minutes a day to do absolutely nothing. It would be helpful to check again in 2-4 weeks to compare the trend.
15–22pts · Moderate
You have spent a significant number of days over the past month feeling heavy. When your mind is weighed down to this extent, it is easy for sleep, concentration, and socializing to become difficult as well. This is not because your mind is weak, but a common change that occurs when the amount you have to handle increases. We gently recommend that you speak with a psychiatrist or counseling professional rather than enduring it alone.
23–30pts · Severe
It seems you are enduring a heavy burden almost every day. A state like this lightens much faster when you receive help, rather than just waiting for time to pass. Please seek psychiatric treatment or professional counseling as soon as possible, and let someone close to you know about your current condition. If you have thoughts of wanting to die or hurting yourself, please do not stay alone with them: go to the nearest emergency department or call your local emergency number right away. Free, verified 24-hour crisis lines for your own country are listed at findahelpline.com.
Sample questions
- 1. My mind felt constantly weighed down even without any specific event.
- 2. I was on edge and easily irritated by trivial things.
- 3. Once I started worrying, it was difficult to stop myself.
- 4. I experienced a feeling of tightness in my chest or stomach during the day.
Thinking about the past month, please choose how often each statement applied to you. It is enough to consider both your good and bad days and answer based on the average. There are no right or wrong answers.
FAQ
How do I read my Mind Burden score?
Each of the ten items scores 0-3, for a total of 0-30. Read 0-6 as light, 7-14 as somewhat weighed down, 15-22 as a marked load and 23-30 as very heavy. These bands are Soundary's own self-check thresholds and do not identify a specific condition or constitute a diagnosis.
At what score should I see a professional?
From 15 points, talking to a psychiatrist or counsellor is recommended; from 23 points, seek care as soon as you can. Even with a lower score, if sleep, concentration or relationships are clearly affected, or you have thoughts of dying, get help right away regardless of the number.
Is this the K10 psychological distress scale?
No. This is Soundary's own ten-item self-check (SMB-10). It shares the topic of non-specific distress over the past month with standard scales such as the K10, but the items and score bands differ, so your score here cannot be compared with K10 cut-offs. If you need a standardized assessment, see a professional.
How is this different from a depression or anxiety test?
Depression and anxiety tests look separately at the type and severity of each symptom cluster, whereas this check does not split them and measures the total load on your mind as one figure. It suits a first check when you are not yet sure what the problem is; if the load is marked, follow up with the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 to separate the strands.
Source
The items in this test are a self-check adaptation based on the original instrument and literature below: Items written by Soundary with reference to published literature on non-specific psychological distress; not a translation or adaptation of any standardized instrument. A representative standard tool on the same topic is Kessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D. K., Normand, S.-L. T., Walters, E. E., & Zaslavsky, A. M. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959–976 (the K10), but the items and score bands of this check differ from it.
The items in this test were written by Soundary with reference to published diagnostic criteria and academic literature. They are not a translation or adaptation of any standardized instrument, and the score bands are Soundary's own self-check thresholds.
Related tests
This is a self-screening tool, not a medical diagnosis. If the result concerns you, please consult a mental health professional.