Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS)
A total does not establish individual item responses.
Choose the single named drug being rated before answering. The first selector records clinical context and contributes no score. In all five questions, read [named drug] as that selected drug. Answer about the last12months and select one response for every question. The fifth question uses difficulty anchors rather than frequency anchors. If a different drug or a more specific preparation needs to be identified, record that context separately in the clinical record; do not combine several drugs within one administration.
Gossop M, Darke S, Griffiths P, Hando J, Powis B, Hall W and Strang J (1995). Exact generic form reproduced from NCETA2021, which identifies the instrument as public domain. NCETA overview layout is not reproduced.
Responses stay in this page’s memory. Reset or leave the page to clear them. No patient identifiers are collected.
About this scale and references
Reference information · Questionnaire
- Last content update
- 2026-10-26
- Clinical review
- Not independently reviewed
- Source jurisdiction
- See individual sources
- Coverage
- Questionnaire
| Field | Instrument context |
|---|---|
| Version | NCETA2021 generic five-item SDS; last12months with explicitly named drug |
| Population | Adults rating psychological dependence on one specified drug |
| Respondent | Adult self-report with clinician interpretation |
| Recall period | Last12months |
Interpretation & limitations
- The sum describes the psychological components of dependence on the specified drug. Higher scores indicate greater reported dependence-related difficulty; a total alone does not establish a substance-use diagnosis.
- Add only the five0–3 item ratings; the context selector is excluded. All five ratings and the named-drug context are required. No missing response is treated as zero.
- NCETA lists published screening guides for alcohol3, amphetamine5, analgesics5, benzodiazepine7, cannabis3, cocaine3, ecstasy4 and heroin5 (each score or greater). These are substance- and population-specific research guides, not universal diagnostic or severity bands.
- Review substance, age, setting and applicable validation research before applying any guide. A primary study in young adult frequent cannabis users did not support using SDS alone to distinguish dependence from non-dependence. The form does not assess all physical withdrawal or tolerance features.
References · 3
- NCETA2021 exact generic SDS: questions/anchors page2, scoring/online use page3, public-domain status page4 · NCETA Flinders University’s instrument overview identifies SDS as in the public domain, explicitly lists online administration, and permits adapting only the named-drug reference. The five prompts and anchors are preserved.
- EUDA original instrument information and research references
- Primary cannabis study illustrating population-specific screening limitations