WHODAS-12 — simple scoring and what the score means

The WHODAS-12 is the condition-agnostic measure of functional disability. The same 12 items work whether the client’s primary diagnosis is depression, chronic pain, a substance-use disorder, or a long COVID presentation — it measures how much the condition is impacting the client’s life, not what the condition is. The full WHODAS 2.0 exists in 36-item and interview-administered versions. Rivet uses the 12-item self-administered (S12) form because the brevity fits in-session and the psychometrics hold up well for routine clinical monitoring.

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What it measures

Disability across six life domains (two items each): The six domains map to the ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health), which makes the WHODAS the natural choice when functional impairment is part of the formulation or when documentation needs to align with a recognized framework. Each item is rated 1–5 (None / Mild / Moderate / Severe / Extreme or cannot do) looking back over the past 30 days.

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When to send it

• Intake when functional impairment is part of the picture
• Adjustment-disorder and chronic-illness mental-health work
• Disability-claim documentation — the WHO-endorsed instrument is often accepted by insurers and CPP-Disability tribunals in Canada
• Pre/post for any treatment where functional improvement is the primary outcome
• 4–12 week intervals during treatment
• Discharge — functional outcome documentation

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How Rivet scores it

Simple sum of all 12 items, range 12–60. Each item rated 1 (none) through 5 (extreme). The six domain subscales also surface their own scores in the live-scoring pill — useful when the profile across domains matters (cognition-heavy vs. mobility-heavy disability reads very differently for treatment planning).

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WHODAS-12 vs the symptom measures

Every other screen here asks about symptoms. The WHODAS-12 asks about function — whether the client can concentrate, get around, look after themselves, get along with people, do their work and take part in their community — and it does that without reference to any diagnosis. That makes it the measure to reach for when the question is what the condition is costing, rather than how severe it is. Two clients with the same PHQ-9 can be functioning very differently, and a symptom score alone will not show that. It is also the instrument most likely to be recognised outside your office. Because it is a WHO instrument tied to the international functioning classification, it tends to be accepted in disability-documentation contexts where a symptom score alone carries less weight. One caveat if the score is going somewhere formal: the WHO publishes a more rigorous scoring method than the simple sum used here, and that one is the choice for disability determination or research. The simple sum is the standard for clinical monitoring.

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Is it free to use?

Yes. Free clinical use, per the WHO.

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Citation

Üstün, T. B., Kostanjsek, N., Chatterji, S., & Rehm, J. (Eds.) (2010). Measuring Health and Disability: Manual for WHO Disability Assessment Schedule WHODAS 2.0. World Health Organization, Geneva. Free clinical use per WHO; the verbatim canonical wording is preserved.

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When not to use it

The WHODAS measures disability, not symptomatology. For symptom-specific severity, use the disorder-specific instrument (PHQ-9 for depression, GAD-7 for anxiety, PCL-5 for PTSD). Pair the WHODAS with the symptom-specific measure when you want to track whether symptom change is also producing functional change — they don’t always move together.

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