There are many different questionnaires that can help a man make sense of what he has been experiencing who are living in and around Reading. Sometimes a man knows that something isn’t quite right but doesn’t have the words to explain it. He might think: “I know I’m struggling, but I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” A self-report questionnaire can provide a starting point. It can help someone identify patterns in their mood, anxiety, attention, behaviour, relationships, sleep, trauma symptoms or general psychological wellbeing. For men who are unsure whether counselling could help, completing a questionnaire can sometimes make that first step feel easier.

However, a questionnaire is not the same as a diagnosis. A high score does not automatically mean that someone has a particular mental health condition, and a low score does not necessarily mean that someone has no difficulties. These measures are best viewed as conversation starters and screening tools, rather than definitive answers.

General psychological wellbeing and distress

CORE-10 – Psychological Distress

What it looks at:
General psychological distress, including anxiety, low mood, coping, relationships, sleep, hopelessness, trauma-related distress and risk.

Who it is useful for:
Men who don’t necessarily know what their main problem is but know that they are struggling psychologically.

The CORE-10 is particularly relevant to counselling because it was specifically developed for routine use in psychological therapies. It contains 10 questions covering problems, functioning and risk. (CORE System Trust)

The questions ask about experiences over the previous week, including feeling tense or anxious, coping when things go wrong, difficulty talking to people, panic, sleep, hopelessness, unhappiness and distressing unwanted memories. (CloudFront)

Useful for:
Anxiety • depression • stress • trauma • general distress • counselling outcomes

CORE System Trust – CORE-10

Depression

PHQ-9 – Patient Health Questionnaire-9

What it looks at:
Symptoms of depression.

It asks about things such as:

• Loss of interest or pleasure
• Feeling depressed or hopeless
• Sleep difficulties
• Tiredness
• Appetite changes
• Feelings of worthlessness or failure
• Concentration difficulties
• Psychomotor changes
• Thoughts of death or self-harm

It also asks how much these difficulties are interfering with everyday functioning. (Grovehurst Health)

The PHQ-9 is one of the principal depression outcome measures used in NHS Talking Therapies. (NHS England)

Useful for:
Depression • low mood • loss of motivation • hopelessness • reduced enjoyment • sleep problems

Important: Question 9 relates to thoughts of being better off dead or self-harm, so it should not simply be treated as another score. A positive response warrants appropriate exploration of safety and risk.

Generalised anxiety

GAD-7 – Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7

What it looks at:
Symptoms associated with anxiety, particularly excessive worry and tension.

It asks about experiences over the previous two weeks, including:

• Feeling nervous or on edge
• Not being able to stop or control worrying
• Worrying excessively about different things
• Difficulty relaxing
• Restlessness
• Irritability
• Feeling that something awful might happen

The GAD-7 is the recommended anxiety measure used alongside the PHQ-9 in NHS Talking Therapies. (NHS England)

Useful for:
General anxiety • excessive worry • tension • irritability • restlessness • difficulty relaxing

Panic attacks

Panic Disorder Severity Scale – Self-Report (PDSS-SR)

What it looks at:
The severity and impact of panic symptoms.

It can explore:

• Frequency of panic attacks
• Distress associated with attacks
• Anticipatory anxiety
• Avoidance
• Work and social impairment

This can be particularly useful for someone who says: “I don’t understand what’s happening to me. I suddenly feel like I’m going to die.”

Social anxiety

Mini-SPIN – Mini Social Phobia Inventory

What it looks at: Social anxiety and avoidance.

It can be useful for men who experience:

• Fear of embarrassment
• Fear of being judged
• Avoidance of social situations
• Difficulty speaking to people
• Anxiety in groups
• Anxiety around dating
• Fear of being negatively evaluated

This is particularly worth exploring because social anxiety can sometimes be mistaken for simply being “quiet”, “antisocial” or “not confident”.

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms

OCI-R – Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised

What it looks at:
Obsessive-compulsive symptoms across several areas.

These can include:

• Checking
• Washing
• Obsessing
• Hoarding
• Ordering
• Mental neutralising
• Avoidance

NHS Talking Therapies guidance specifically identifies the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI) as an anxiety-related measure for OCD. (NHS England)

Trauma and PTSD

PCL-5 – PTSD Checklist for DSM-5

What it looks at:
Symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress.

It can explore:

• Intrusive memories
• Nightmares
• Flashbacks
• Avoidance
• Negative changes in thoughts and mood
• Hypervigilance
• Feeling constantly on guard
• Irritability
• Sleep problems
• Startle responses

This can be useful when a man says: “I know something happened to me, but I don’t understand why I’m still affected by it.”

ADHD

ASRS-v1.1 – Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale

This is one I would definitely include on your website.

The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale was developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization and is widely used to identify symptoms associated with possible adult ADHD. (NHS England Digital)

It looks at difficulties including:

• Finishing tasks
• Organisation
• Remembering appointments
• Procrastination
• Sustaining attention
• Restlessness
• Impulsivity

The six-item screener focuses on recent symptoms and is useful as an initial indicator of possible ADHD. (NHS England Digital)

But there is an important UK distinction: NHS England states that the ASRS is used as a screening measure but is not currently recommended as part of an official ADHD screening programme in England. (NHS England Digital)

Therefore, your wording should be: “This questionnaire can help you identify whether you recognise some characteristics associated with adult ADHD. It cannot diagnose ADHD.”

That is much safer than saying: “Take this test to find out if you have ADHD.”

Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale information

Autism

AQ-10 – Autism-Spectrum Quotient

The AQ-10 is particularly relevant for adults wondering whether they may be autistic.

It explores characteristics associated with:

• Social interaction
• Communication
• Attention to detail
• Imagination
• Preference for routine
• Social differences

NICE recommends the AQ-10 as a brief assessment tool when autism is suspected in adults without moderate or severe intellectual disability. A score of 6 or above is one criterion for offering a comprehensive autism assessment, alongside clinical judgement. (Nice)

However, again:

AQ-10 ≠ autism diagnosis.

Autism requires a comprehensive assessment considering developmental history and functioning across different areas of life.

The NHS also emphasises that anxiety, depression, ADHD and other conditions can overlap with or make autistic characteristics more difficult to identify. (nhs.uk)

Personality difficulties

This is an area where I would be particularly careful.

There isn’t one simple questionnaire that can tell someone: “You have a personality disorder.”

Personality is complex and needs to be understood in the context of someone’s development, relationships, circumstances and long-term patterns.

However, there are screening measures that can identify personality-related difficulties that may warrant further assessment.

SAPAS – Standardised Assessment of Personality – Abbreviated Scale

A very brief screening measure designed to identify the possibility of personality disorder.

It explores areas such as:

• Relationship difficulties
• Self-image
• Impulsivity
• Emotional stability
• Interpersonal functioning

A positive screen does not establish a personality disorder.

It simply suggests that more detailed assessment may be useful.

Borderline personality features

MSI-BPD – McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder

This is designed to screen for features associated with borderline personality disorder.

It can explore:

• Emotional instability
• Fear of abandonment
• Relationship instability
• Impulsivity
• Anger
• Identity difficulties
• Self-harm or suicidal behaviour
• Dissociation

This needs particularly careful handling because a questionnaire should never be used to label a man as “borderline”.

It is better framed as: “A screening questionnaire for experiences sometimes associated with borderline personality disorder.”

Anger

STAXI-2 – State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2

This is a more specialised measure looking at:

• State anger
• Trait anger
• Anger expression
• Anger control

For your Male Minds Counselling work, this could be particularly relevant.

A man doesn’t necessarily have to be physically aggressive to have an anger problem.

Anger can also appear as:

• Irritability
• Resentment
• Frustration
• Passive aggression
• Withdrawal
• Controlling behaviour
• Explosive arguments
• Road rage
• Constant annoyance

Alcohol use

AUDIT – Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test

This is particularly useful when a man’s mental health and alcohol consumption appear connected.

It explores:

• Frequency of drinking
• Quantity consumed
• Binge drinking
• Loss of control
• Consequences
• Dependence-related symptoms
• Alcohol-related harm

There is also:

AUDIT-C

A shorter three-question version focusing primarily on alcohol consumption.

This can be a useful first step before exploring whether alcohol is being used to manage: anxiety → stress → anger → sleep → loneliness → trauma → emotional pain.

Drug use

DAST-10 – Drug Abuse Screening Test

A short screening questionnaire examining difficulties associated with drug use.

It can help identify whether substance use may be contributing to:

• Mental health difficulties
• Relationships
• Work
• Finances
• Legal problems
• Physical or psychological wellbeing

Again, it is a screening instrument rather than a diagnosis.

Sleep

Insomnia Severity Index – ISI

Sleep is incredibly important when working with men experiencing anxiety, depression, stress or anger.

The ISI explores:

• Difficulty falling asleep
• Difficulty staying asleep
• Early waking
• Satisfaction with sleep
• Interference with daily functioning
• Noticeability of sleep problems
• Distress associated with sleep

This can be useful because a man may initially present with: “I’m angry all the time.”

but discover that he has been sleeping four or five hours a night for months.

Self-esteem

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

This is a widely used measure of global self-esteem.

It can help explore:

• Self-worth
• Self-acceptance
• Feelings of inadequacy
• Positive feelings towards oneself

This could be particularly useful when working with men experiencing:

• Shame
• Failure
• Relationship breakdown
• Employment difficulties
• Masculinity concerns
• Body image concerns
• Low confidence

Loneliness

UCLA Loneliness Scale

This explores subjective experiences of loneliness and social disconnection.

This is particularly important because being surrounded by people is not the same as feeling connected to people.

A man can have:

• A partner
• Children
• Friends
• Colleagues
• Family

and still feel profoundly alone.

Relationship difficulties

Experiences in Close Relationships – Revised (ECR-R)

This is useful for exploring attachment patterns in adult relationships.

It broadly examines:

• Attachment anxiety
• Attachment avoidance
• Comfort with intimacy
• Fear of rejection
• Dependence
• Emotional closeness

For your work with men, this could provide an interesting bridge between:

childhood experiences → attachment → relationships → emotional regulation → adult behaviour.

It shouldn’t be presented as a simple “what is your attachment style?” test, because attachment is more nuanced than internet quizzes often suggest.

Work-related stress and burnout

There are several measures that can be useful here.

Copenhagen Burnout Inventory – CBI

Looks at:

• Personal burnout
• Work-related burnout
• Client-related burnout

Perceived Stress Scale – PSS

Looks at how unpredictable, uncontrollable and overwhelming someone has experienced their life circumstances. These could be particularly relevant to your workplace mental-health work in Reading.

Health anxiety

Health Anxiety Inventory – HAI

This explores excessive worry about health and illness.

It can be useful when a man repeatedly:

• Checks his body
• Searches symptoms online
• Seeks reassurance
• Fears serious illness
• Misinterprets bodily sensations
• Becomes anxious about normal physical changes

NHS Talking Therapies specifically identifies a Health Anxiety Inventory for health anxiety. (NHS England)

Eating difficulties

SCOFF Questionnaire

A very brief screening tool for eating-disorder symptoms.

It asks about issues such as:

• Making yourself sick
• Loss of control around eating
• Weight concerns
• Body-image concerns
• Food-related preoccupation

This is worth including because eating disorders are not exclusively a women’s issue.

Men can experience significant eating and body-image difficulties too.

Suicide and self-harm

This deserves its own section rather than simply being another questionnaire.

Some broader measures, such as the PHQ-9 and CORE-10, contain questions relating to suicide/self-harm. The CORE-10, for example, contains a specific risk item relating to making plans to end one’s life. (CloudFront)

However, if a man indicates current suicidal thoughts, intent, planning or immediate danger, a questionnaire should not be treated as the assessment itself.

That requires a proper conversation about risk and appropriate safeguarding/support.

A useful “Which questionnaire should I complete?” guide

If you’re struggling with general psychological distress, consider taking the CORE-10. For depression or low mood, look into the PHQ-9; for general anxiety, the GAD-7; for panic, the PDSS-SR; and for social anxiety, the Mini-SPIN. Those experiencing OCD symptoms can use the OCI-R, while trauma or PTSD can be screened with the PCL-5. If you suspect neurodivergence, consider the ASRS-v1.1 for possible ADHD or the AQ-10 for possible autism. Personality difficulties can be explored with the SAPAS, and borderline personality features specifically with the MSI-BPD. Anger management can be assessed using the STAXI-2. For substance concerns, evaluate alcohol use with the AUDIT / AUDIT-C and drug use with the DAST-10. Sleep disruptions like insomnia are measured by the ISI, self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, loneliness via the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and adult attachment patterns with the ECR-R. Finally, you can screen for burnout using the CBI, perceived stress with the PSS, health anxiety with the HAI, and eating difficulties using the SCOFF.

The “Start Here” five

1. CORE-10
“What is my overall psychological wellbeing like?”

2. PHQ-9
“Could I be experiencing significant depression?”

3. GAD-7
“How severe is my anxiety?”

4. ASRS-v1.1
“Do I recognise characteristics associated with adult ADHD?”

5. AQ-10
“Do I recognise characteristics associated with autism?”

These questionnaires are not diagnostic tests. They are self-report screening or outcome measures designed to help you identify patterns and start conversations. Your score does not mean that you do or do not have a particular mental health condition. If you are concerned about your mental health, consider speaking to your GP or a qualified mental health professional. If a questionnaire raises concerns about your safety, particularly around suicide or self-harm, seek appropriate support rather than relying on the questionnaire score alone.