What is the relationship between the DASS and DSM diagnoses?
In terms of traditional diagnostic classifications such as DSM-IV, the DASS Anxiety scale corresponds most closely to the symptom criteria for the various Anxiety Disorders, with the exception of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The DASS Depression scale corresponds fairly closely to the Mood Disorders, although the diagnostic criteria for those disorders include many symptoms that were rejected during DASS development as not specific to depression (e.g., guilt, appetite change). Finally, the DASS Stress scale corresponds quite closely to the DSM-IV symptom criteria for GAD. Psychometrically, the DASS is quite different from diagnostic instruments in that it reflects the underlying continuity of severity of symptoms in the population. DASS scale scores are dimensional rather than categorical.
