If you are having thoughts of self-harm, call 115 immediately (medical emergency, 24/7), 096 306 1414 (Ngày Mai — psychological listening support, 13:00–20:30 Wed–Sun) or 1900 1267 (depression emergency — Ho Chi Minh City Psychiatric Hospital). Open the Emergency help page

Self-assessment scale

WHO-5: five questions about the last two weeks, and how to read the score

The WHO-5 is a five-item questionnaire published by the World Health Organization for a person to note their own mental well-being over the last two weeks. Unlike symptom questionnaires, all five WHO-5 statements are positive — cheerful, relaxed, energetic, rested, interested in your days — so a higher score is better. You can take it right below with no account; the sections after it explain the scoring and where this scale stops.

WHO-5: 5 items, each scored 0–5, a raw score of 0–25 times 4 gives the 0–100 scale; below the 50 mark, the tool advises seeing a doctor or a qualified professional.

Published by Inti Care, an Inti Foundation product · Updated: 20 October 2026

What the WHO-5 is and who developed it

The WHO-5 is five self-report statements about your mental well-being over the last two weeks. According to the document the World Health Organization (WHO) published in 2024, it was developed during the 1990s by Per Bech of the Psychiatric Centre North Zealand (Copenhagen, Denmark), which hosted a WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, building on scales and studies of the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

In 2024 the Psychiatric Centre North Zealand and WHO agreed to assign the WHO-5 copyright to WHO, which republished it as an open-access document (WHO/UCN/MSD/MHE/2024.1).
A 2015 review of 213 studies notes that since its first publication in 1998 the WHO-5 has been translated into more than 30 languages and used in research all over the world.

How the WHO-5 is scored

The WHO-5 has 5 items, each scored 0 to 5: 0 = “At no time”, 1 = “Some of the time”, 2 = “Less than half of the time”, 3 = “More than half of the time”, 4 = “Most of the time”, 5 = “All of the time”. The 5 items add up to a raw score of 0–25; times 4 gives the 0–100 scale, so the score moves in steps of 4 — just below the 50 mark is 48, just above it is 52. This scale reads the other way from the PHQ-9 and GAD-7: the higher the score, the more often you felt well over the last two weeks. The tool above scores it exactly like the WHO-5 in the Inti Care app, which suggests repeating it after 14 days.

Example: answering 3, 3, 3, 2, 2 to the 5 statements gives a raw score of 13; times 4 that is 52.

WHO-5 score ranges and how the result reads
Score · Suggested range	What the tool says
0–28below 50, in the low rangewith advice to see a professional	Your score is below 50 and in the low range of the scale: over the last two weeks you hardly ever felt well. The point of 50 is suggested as a reason to look further into mental well-being — it is worth doing that soon.
29–50below 50with advice to see a professional	Your score is below 50 — the point suggested as a reason to look further into mental well-being. It does not mean you have a condition; it shows that you seldom felt well over the last two weeks.
51–100at or above 50	Your score is at or above 50. This scale asks about positive feelings: the higher the score, the more often over the last two weeks you felt cheerful, relaxed, energetic, rested and interested in your days.

The readings are exactly what the tool shows when you press “See my result”. Below the 50 mark (WHO-5), the tool also says: “At this range, it is worth talking to a doctor or a qualified mental health professional for a proper evaluation.” Each range is a suggestion for self-observation, not a diagnosis.

Five statements, all positive

Each statement takes one of six answers, from at no time (0) to all of the time (5).

A 0–100 score, higher is better

The five answers add up to 0–25; multiply by 4 for a 0–100 scale.

The suggested mark is 50

Below 50 is a reason to look further — not a diagnosis.

How to read the score

According to the WHO-5 document published by the World Health Organization in 2024, a percentage score below 50 (a raw score below 13) has been suggested as a cut-off for poor mental well-being and as an indication for further assessment for the possible presence of a mental health condition, such as depressive disorder. It is a suggested point for seeking an assessment, not a conclusion.

At or above 50: over the last two weeks you often felt well. A high score does not mean there is nothing worth talking about.
Below 50: consider getting a further assessment, especially if the low score repeats over several rounds.
In Inti Care, a score of 28 or below is also marked separately as a prompt to pay closer attention. That is how the app displays it, not a mark set by WHO.

How the WHO-5 differs from the PHQ-9 and GAD-7

The PHQ-9 asks about signs of low mood and the GAD-7 about anxiety; on those two a higher score means things are heavier. The WHO-5 reads the other way: it asks about what is still going well, and a high score is a good sign. Because it never asks you to own a symptom, the WHO-5 suits the times when you cannot name anything yet and everything simply feels flat.

What this scale cannot tell you

The WHO-5 gives a number about two weeks, not a diagnosis. A low score can come from poor sleep, a recent loss, a stretch of overwork or a physical health problem — five questions cannot tell these apart. Determining a health condition is for a health professional after seeing you in person.

When to seek professional help

The WHO-5 tells you about your well-being over two weeks; it does not give a diagnosis. See a doctor or a mental health professional when:

your score is below 50 — the mark WHO's document suggests as a reason for further assessment — especially when it repeats over several rounds;
tiredness or loss of interest starts affecting your sleep, eating, work or relationships;
everything feels flat without a name you can give it, and the feeling has not passed after several weeks.

Professional help means a doctor, or a mental health professional at a health facility. Inti Care and the AI Companion walk with you on the emotional side; they do not replace them.

If you are in danger or having thoughts of harming yourself, do not wait: call 096 306 1414 (Ngày Mai — psychological listening, 13:00–20:30 (Wed–Sun)), 1900 1267 (“Depression emergency” — HCMC Psychiatric Hospital) or 115 (medical emergency, 24/7).

Open Emergency help and your safety plan

Track your WHO-5 over time

The in-app version saves each round as a chart and suggests repeating after 14 days, so you see a trend rather than a single number. Free, with an account.

Take the WHO-5 in the app

Choose the right service for this need

The pages below hold each service's details and the scope of companionship. Read the safety boundaries before you choose; Inti Care does not examine, diagnose or treat.

Frequently asked questions

What WHO-5 score counts as low?

The World Health Organization's WHO-5 document suggests a score below 50 (a raw score below 13) as poor mental well-being and a reason for further assessment. It is not a diagnosis.

Is the WHO-5 a test for depression?

No. The WHO-5 measures mental well-being with five positive statements. A 2015 review of 213 articles found it to be a sensitive and specific tool when used to screen for depression; on this page, though, it is only a self-observation tool: a low score is a reason to seek an assessment, not a conclusion.

How often should I repeat the WHO-5?

About every two weeks. The statements look back over the last two weeks, so doing it more often means two rounds cover almost the same period.

Is my result on this page saved?

No. The version on this page runs in your browser: your answers and score are not sent to a server and are not saved. To keep a chart over time, use the in-app version, which needs a free account.

Is the Vietnamese wording here from WHO?

No. The Vietnamese wording is the translation Inti Care uses in its app and was not created by the World Health Organization; the original English edition is the binding one. The scoring and the 50 mark follow the original document.

PHQ-9: take it here GAD-7: take it here Which of the three scales to choose Emotion journal Calm Corner: 1–5 minute practices Inti Care guide About Inti Care Cost One-to-one companionship services Emergency help

Sources

These sources are cited so you can check for yourself. Citing them does not mean those organisations or authors endorse Inti Care.

Disclaimer

These forms only support participant self-observation and help the care team understand general needs. They are not screening, diagnostic, or treatment tools and do not replace professional evaluation.