DAST-10: Drug Abuse Screening Test

What this assessment is

The Drug Abuse Screening Test, 10-item version, or DAST-10, is a brief screen for problems related to drug use during the past 12 months.

It is the short form of Harvey Skinner's original 28-item Drug Abuse Screening Test. The NIH Common Data Elements record identifies the 10-item form and its intended screening use.

The DAST-10 focuses on drugs other than alcohol. It does not diagnose a substance use disorder.

Who it was designed for

The DAST-10 is used with adults and older adolescents. It can support screening in healthcare, treatment, community, and research settings.

The result should be interpreted for the population and setting in which the form was used. Evidence from one service does not establish the same accuracy in every age group, language, culture, or clinical setting.

A service also needs a plan for follow-up. Screening has little value if a positive result does not lead to a careful conversation or further assessment.

How it is administered

The standard DAST-10 asks about the past 12 months. It can be self-completed or given as an interview and usually takes about five minutes.

Each question has a yes-or-no response. Use the complete 10-item form and its standard timeframe. Changing the questions, response choices, or recall period creates a modified measure.

Complete responses are preferable. The standard scoring guidance does not provide one universal rule for replacing missing answers. Do not assume that a missing response means no problem.

What it measures

The DAST-10 covers consequences and warning signs associated with drug use. These include difficulty controlling use, concern from other people, effects on daily life, and health or social consequences.

It does not measure alcohol-related risk. The CAGE-AID combines alcohol and drug warning signs in a shorter lifetime screen, while the DUDIT is an 11-item past-year drug-use screen with a different scoring system.

The DAST-10 total reflects the number of scored warning signs. It does not show which drug caused them or how often use occurred.

How scoring works

Each response scores 0 or 1. One item is keyed in the opposite direction from the others. Add the 10 values for a total from 0 to 10.

Higher totals indicate more reported problems related to drug use during the past year.

Use the official scoring key. Do not score every yes response as 1, because the reverse-keyed item would be counted incorrectly.

How to interpret a DAST-10 score

The SAMHSA TIP 63 guidance gives these ranges:

• 0: no problems reported
• 1 to 2: low level
• 3 to 5: moderate level
• 6 to 8: substantial level
• 9 to 10: severe level

These labels describe the screening total. They are not diagnoses or a measure of immediate medical danger.

A score of 0 means that the form did not record a scored problem. It does not prove that drug use is absent or safe. A higher total supports a fuller assessment of the substances used, pattern of use, consequences, withdrawal risk, mental health, physical health, and current safety.

What the score cannot tell you

The DAST-10 cannot identify a specific substance use disorder, determine its severity under current diagnostic criteria, or select treatment.

It does not establish which substances are involved, the amount used, the route of use, or whether intoxication or withdrawal needs urgent care.

The score can also miss risk when a person does not disclose use, misunderstands a question, or has serious harm that is not well represented by the total.

Evidence and limitations

The DAST family was developed as a brief way to identify drug-related problems. The 10-item form keeps that purpose while reducing completion time.

Its brevity is useful, but it narrows the information available. The same total can come from different response patterns and different levels of current risk.

Read the score with the individual responses, the person's circumstances, and a defined follow-up process. Do not use the number as a diagnosis.