Child & teen anxiety check (SCARED)
Here are some sentences that describe how people feel. For each one, pick the answer that best describes how you have been feeling over the last 3 months.
This check uses the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) — 41 questions about worry and fear over the last 3 months. It is widely used in clinics and research.
Your answers stay on this device — nothing is sent or saved anywhere.
DocSana self-checks are for information only. They are screening tools, not diagnoses: only a licensed clinician can diagnose a mental health condition. Your answers are scored in your browser and are never sent to or stored by DocSana. We count visits to these pages with privacy-friendly analytics that use no cookies and never receive your answers or results. There is no advertising tracking on self-check pages. If you're in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 if you're in immediate danger.
Common questions
What is the SCARED?
SCARED — the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders — is a 41-question child and teen anxiety test for ages 8 to 18, with versions for the young person or a parent. It screens for panic, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety and school avoidance. People search for it as the SCARED test or SCARED anxiety questionnaire.
Is the SCARED a diagnosis?
No. It’s a screening tool. A total of 25 or higher suggests a possible anxiety disorder, but only a licensed clinician can diagnose one.
What are the sub-areas?
The SCARED breaks worry into five areas: panic & body symptoms, general worry, separation worry, social worry, and school worry. Each has its own cutoff shown in your results.
Can a parent take this about their child?
Yes — choose “parent or caregiver” at the start and answer based on what you have seen in your child over the last 3 months.
Who made the SCARED?
Dr. Boris Birmaher and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh. It’s free to use with credit.
The SCARED (Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders) was developed by Dr. Boris Birmaher and colleagues. Free to use with credit.
Clinical review pending This page was written by the DocSana team and is awaiting review by a licensed clinician.