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Mental Health Screening Tools, Information, and Self-Checks

Last updated: August 5, 2026. Reviewed by Jason Ramirez, CADC-II.

Important: This directory includes interactive published screeners, public information pages for rights-limited instruments, and original educational self-checks. Information pages contain no questionnaire or score. It distinguishes published screening instruments and original educational self-checks, while labeling rights-limited entries as information only. Original educational self-checks do not claim clinical validation. No result is a diagnosis.

MindCheck Tools currently lists 35 maintained screening, instrument-information, and self-check pages, plus practical calculators, worksheets, and coping-skill tools. A rights-limited instrument URL remains publicly useful as an informational page unless and until its exact web-use permission and clinical review are archived.

For source studies, validated populations, reported accuracy, and licensing notes for the published instruments we document, see the clinical evidence page. For how the site selects instruments, preserves scoring, and handles your responses, see the methodology page.

Which mental health screening tool should I use?

Start with the concern you want to explore. This table maps common concerns to published screening instruments; it is not a diagnosis or a personalized clinical recommendation. A healthcare professional may choose a different tool based on age, history, safety, symptoms, and care setting.

Swipe horizontally to see what each tool covers and its evidence source.

Common concerns and screening tools that may fit them
ConcernStart withWhat it coversSource
Low mood, reduced interest, or other depressive symptoms over the past two weeksPHQ-9A published nine-item depression symptom screener for adults.Evidence
Persistent worry or generalized anxiety symptoms over the past two weeksGAD-7A published seven-item generalized anxiety symptom screener.Evidence
A very brief combined check for depression and anxiety symptomsPHQ-4Four items: two about depressive symptoms and two about anxiety symptoms.Evidence
A brief initial check for PTSD symptoms after a potentially traumatic eventPC-PTSD-5A published five-item primary-care PTSD screen for adults.Evidence
A more detailed review of PTSD symptoms over the past monthPCL-5A published 20-item PTSD symptom checklist for adults.Evidence
Alcohol use patterns and possible alcohol-related riskAUDITThe World Health Organization's full 10-item alcohol use screen.Evidence
A brief check focused on alcohol consumptionAUDIT-CThe three consumption items from the full AUDIT.Evidence
Learning about brief screening for alcohol or other drug-use concernsCAGE-AID informationAn informational overview only; MindCheck Tools does not administer or score this rights-unresolved instrument.Evidence
Adult ADHD symptomsASRSAn adult self-report symptom checklist for people age 18 and older.Evidence

Comparing related tools? See PHQ-9 vs GAD-7 or AUDIT vs AUDIT-C.

Depression

Self-checks for depressive symptoms in the past two weeks, including population-specific versions. Scores are educational and do not diagnose major depressive disorder.

Anxiety and stress

A maintained generalized-anxiety self-check plus information about rights-limited DASS-21 and social-anxiety instruments. None can diagnose an anxiety or stress-related disorder.

Trauma and PTSD

Interactive post-traumatic stress symptom checks plus trauma-informed ACE research information without an ACE questionnaire or score. PTSD diagnosis requires a clinical interview.

Alcohol and substance use

Maintained alcohol screens plus information-only pages for rights-limited substance-use instruments. Information entries ask no substance-use questions and produce no score or result.

ADHD

Adult ADHD screens including the ASRS plus population-framed versions. ADHD diagnosis requires a clinical evaluation, including history and rule-outs.

Eating disorders

Evidence and permissions information about eating-disorder screening without an on-site questionnaire or result. Diagnosis requires evaluation by a trained clinician.

Borderline personality

Evidence and rights-status information about the MSI-BPD without an on-site questionnaire or result. BPD diagnosis requires a structured clinical evaluation and longitudinal context.

Autism spectrum

Adult AQ-10 evidence and licensing information without an on-site questionnaire or autism result. Autism assessment requires a qualified clinician and broader developmental context.

Personality and self-concept

Educational self-reflection tools plus an information-only ECR-R entry. These are not clinical diagnostics and should not be used for hiring, custody, or other consequential decisions.

Stress, burnout, and resilience

Interactive distress and burnout reflections plus information-only Holmes-Rahe and resilience entries. Information entries contain no inventory, questionnaire, score, or result.

General mental health and wellbeing

Brief positive-functioning checks. These complement deficit-focused screens by tracking what is going well.

Loneliness and social

Research and permissions information about the UCLA Loneliness Scale without an on-site questionnaire, score, or loneliness label.

Sleep

An educational sleep-and-mood reflection plus Athens Insomnia Scale information without an on-site questionnaire or result. Insomnia diagnosis requires clinical evaluation.

Grief

Grief self-reflection. Most grief is not a disorder. Prolonged grief disorder, defined in the DSM-5-TR, requires clinical evaluation.

  • Grief and Mood Check

    Published Screener

    PHQ-9 depression self-screen with grief-specific context. It does not assess prolonged grief disorder.

    Population
    Bereaved adults
    Length
    9 items
    Time
    About 3 minutes
    Take the self-check

Clinical guides and comparisons

Use these guides to choose an appropriate screener, understand how related instruments differ, and prepare to discuss a result with a healthcare professional.

Recovery calculators and practical tools

Browser-local planning calculators and source-linked recovery reference timelines, plus one household mental-load calculator. These are not screening instruments and do not produce a score against published clinical cutoffs.

Coping and skills practice

Brief skills tools drawn from CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, and relapse prevention literature. They are practice aids, not screeners and not therapy.

About this index

Published and maintained by MindCheck Tools. Reviewed for source alignment, limitations, and safety language by Jason Ramirez, CADC-II. For instrument source studies see the clinical evidence page. For selection and scoring standards see the methodology page. To report an error, contact us.