Mental health
General medicine
The WHO-5 is a self-administered mental well-being questionnaire covering the last two weeks. It can open clinical dialogue and support follow-up. Unlike a symptom scale, a higher score reflects greater reported well-being.
Number of questions
5 questions
Approximate duration
1 to 2 minutes
Population
Adults
Modality
Self-administered questionnaire
SELF-QUESTIONNAIRE
Five well-being-focused statements, rated from 0 (at no time) to 5 (all of the time) based on how often they were felt over the past two weeks.
Are you patient?
You can answer this yourself, thinking about the past two weeks. The result is a starting point for discussing your wellbeing, not a comprehensive measure of your mental health.
Score interpretationWHO-5
Raw score: sum of the five responses (0 to 25). Transformed score: raw score multiplied by 4 (0 to 100).
Total score
First reading
0
to
12
Low well-being (raw score of 0 to 12, equivalent to 48 or less out of 100).
13
to
25
Good reported well-being (raw score of 13 to 25, which is more than 50 out of 100). The general population average is around 70 out of 100.
A raw score below 13 out of 25, corresponding to a transformed score below 50 out of 100, suggests reduced mental well-being and may warrant further clinical assessment.
The measurement is not a percentage risk of depression. A total score does not describe all dimensions of mental health, and the WHO-5 is not a substitute for a diagnostic interview or a safety assessment when distress is present.
Terms of contract
Set the displayed scale (out of 25 or 100) from the very first collection and retain it in the history. For follow-ups, display the date, the recall window, and any clinical events relevant to the discussion.
Frequently asked questions
What does the WHO-5 correspond to?
How to read a passage from 12 to 16?
What are its limits?
Sources and references
World Health Organization
WHO documentation, 2024 edition; systematic review: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 2015.
In practice
Full name
World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index
Method
Self-administered questionnaire
Language
French
Authors
World Health Organization
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