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Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12)3

Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12) Test

In three minutes, the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12) Test uses 12 questions to explore whether online symptom searches become repetitive, distressing, distracting, or linked with reassurance-seeking. Your result can support self-reflection by showing the pattern and intensity of your health-information habits.

Questions: 123 minutes

Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12) Test: agreement scale card

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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2,868 completions

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Daniel Hall Psychologist · Test reviewer

2,197 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

CompulsivityC

Measures how difficult it is to control online health-information searching when it becomes repetitive and interferes with daily activities.

example score14/15

14/15Highexample score

3 – 7Low

8 – 11Moderate

12 – 15High

A score of 14 falls in the High range, indicating very frequent and hard-to-control health-related searching that is likely to disrupt other activities.

Reassurance-SeekingRS

Measures how strongly a person seeks professional confirmation of symptoms after searching for health information online.

example score10/15

10/15Moderateexample score

3 – 7Low

8 – 11Moderate

12 – 15High

A score of 10 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable tendency to want reassurance from professionals after online symptom searches.

DistressD

Measures the intensity of negative emotions (e.g., anxiety, panic, irritability) triggered by searching for medical information online.

example score8/15

8/15Moderate distressexample score

3 – 6Low distress

7 – 11Moderate distress

12 – 15High distress

A score of 8 falls in the Moderate distress range, suggesting noticeable but not extreme negative emotional reactions during online health searches.

ExcessivenessE

Measures how repeatedly a person searches for health information online across multiple sessions.

example score5/15

5/15Lowexample score

3 – 6Low

7 – 11Moderate

12 – 15High

A score of 5 falls in the Low range, suggesting relatively infrequent repetition of online medical searches.

Cyberchondria SeverityCS

Measures the overall severity of cyberchondria, reflecting how strongly online health-information searching is linked to anxiety and stress.

example score31/60

31/60Moderateexample score

12 – 27Low

28 – 43Moderate

44 – 60High

A score of 31 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable tendency toward repeated online symptom checking that can be accompanied by increased worry or tension.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Worried symptom googlers

46%OF USERS

People who frequently search symptoms online and end up feeling more anxious, confused, or panicked afterward.

Anxiety-prone health checkers

34%OF USERS

People with general anxiety or health anxiety who use the test to see whether online medical searching is feeding their worries.

Clinicians and researchers

20%OF USERS

Psychologists, psychotherapists, and survey teams who use the scale to screen, monitor, or study cyberchondria in groups.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

CompulsivenessC

You?

Average11.4

Typical rangeTypical9.9 – 12.8

Possible3 – 15

InsecurityI

You?

Average10.6

Typical rangeTypical8.6 – 12.5

Possible3 – 15

DistressD

You?

Average10.5

Typical rangeTypical8.5 – 12.5

Possible3 – 15

ExcessivenessE

You?

Average10.5

Typical rangeTypical8.6 – 12.4

Possible3 – 15

Severity of CyberchondriaSoC

You?

Average29.2

Typical rangeTypical21 – 37.4

Possible12 – 60

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Many people have experienced feeling unwell at least once in their lives and have searched the Internet for information about possible disease symptoms. Please rate the following statements according to the extent to which they applied to you during the past week. Important: These statements do not refer to symptoms of illnesses diagnosed by healthcare professionals; they refer only to symptoms of illnesses that you personally suspect in yourself.

- Never (not at all)
- Rarely (once or twice a week)
- Sometimes (several times a week)
- Often (every day)
- Always (several times a day)
- Never (not at all)
- Rarely (once or twice a week)
- Sometimes (several times a week)
- Often (every day)
- Always (several times a day)
- Never (not at all)
- Rarely (once or twice a week)
- Sometimes (several times a week)
- Often (every day)
- Always (several times a day)

These are 3 of the 12 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12) Test - Description and methodology of the test

hypochondria

cyberpsychology

health

People who notice repeated symptom checking may recognize cyberchondria symptoms in their own habits and want a clearer picture of what keeps the cycle going. This assessment examines how online health searching coincides with interference in attention, emotional distress, and urges to seek care. The Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12) Test presents a profile of whether checking competes with attention, coincides with distress, prompts reassurance-seeking, or becomes difficult to control.

What This Assessment Explores

At the center of this cyberchondria assessment are the attention, emotional, and activity-related patterns associated with online health searching. Items cover symptom checking, repeated or broad searches, interference with work or social life, emotional upset, and requests for professional reassurance. The result describes a behavioral-emotional pattern, not whether the medical information found is accurate.

The displayed dimensions are:

Compulsivity (3-15) shows difficulty controlling searches or protecting other activities: Low 3-7, Moderate 8-11, High 12-15.
Reassurance-Seeking (3-15) reflects seeking professional confirmation after searching: Low 3-7, Moderate 8-11, High 12-15.
Distress (3-15) captures anxiety, panic, or irritability during searches: Low distress 3-6, Moderate distress 7-11, High distress 12-15.
Excessiveness (3-15) reflects repeated health-information searches: Low 3-6, Moderate 7-11, High 12-15.
Cyberchondria Severity (12-60) summarizes excessive searching with anxiety and stress: Low 12-27, Moderate 28-43, High 44-60.

Methodology and Scientific Basis

Each statement uses a five-point frequency response, from Never (not at all) through Always (several times a day). Respondents anchor answers in recurring behavior rather than agreement with a general belief. The catalogue reports domain scores and an overall score; higher values indicate more frequent, disruptive, distressing, or reassurance-related patterns.

The source for the CSS-12 questionnaire is Cyberchondria Severity Scale-12 (McElroy et al., 2019), a short form developed from the earlier CSS described by McElroy and Shevlin (2014). The online questionnaire presents the published CSS-12 and is conceptually consistent with the problematic online health-related research construct discussed by Starcevic et al. (2020); that review supplies no scoring. Published validation supports the source instrument, while the displayed online bands remain descriptive categories rather than diagnostic thresholds.

Interpretation is strongest when the result is considered alongside current stress, health concerns, checking triggers, and ability to stop searching. Self-report can be influenced by memory, momentary anxiety, and openness when judging personal habits. The result identifies a pattern for reflection and can clarify whether online health research is becoming repetitive or increasingly distressing.

Author: D. Berle, V. Starcevic

Literature:

McElroy, E., Kearney, M., Touhey, J., Evans, J., Cooke, Y., & Shevlin, M. (2019). The CSS-12: Development and validation of a short-form version of the cyberchondria severity scale. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 22(5), 330-335. 10.1089/cyber.2018.0624
McElroy, E., & Shevlin, M. (2014). The development and initial validation of the cyberchondria severity scale (CSS). Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28(2), 259-265. 10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.12.007
Starcevic, V., Berle, D., Arnáez, S., Vismara, M., & Fineberg, N. (2020). The assessment of cyberchondria: Instruments for assessing problematic online health-related research. Current Addiction Reports, 7(2), 149-165. 10.1007/s40429-020-00308-w

Updated: 2025-10-02