Skip to main content
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.

​
What it measures

Disability across six life domains (two items each):
DomainItems
Cognition3, 6
Mobility1, 7
Self-care8, 9
Getting along10, 11
Life activities2, 12
Participation4, 5
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.

​
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

​
How Rivet scores it

Simple sum of all 12 items, range 12–60. Each item rated 1 (none) through 5 (extreme).
TotalBand
12–23No significant disability
24–35Mild disability
36–47Moderate disability
48–60Severe-to-extreme disability
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).
The WHO publishes an IRT-based 0–100 complex-scoring algorithm that’s more psychometrically rigorous than the simple sum. Rivet uses the simple sum, which is the dominant in-session method and is acceptable for clinical monitoring. For research or formal disability-determination contexts, consult the WHO 2010 manual scoring sheet for the complex algorithm.

​
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.

​
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.

WHO-5

The WHO’s 5-item well-being measure.

K10

Kessler’s 10-item psychological distress screen.