A score of 20+ on the K-10 means which mental health classification?

• A. Severe mental disorder
• B. Well client
• C. Mild mental disorder
• D. Borderline intellectual functioning

Answer: (C)

Interpreting how distress is classified using the K-10. The K-10 is a short screening tool that measures how much psychological distress someone has experienced recently. As the score rises, distress levels increase, and a higher threshold flags the possibility of a diagnosable mental health issue. A score of twenty or more is considered substantial enough to be clinically meaningful and is typically interpreted as indicating a mild mental disorder in this context. It signals that the person would likely benefit from further assessment or initial support, rather than being considered well.

This level of distress is not enough to label someone as having a severe mental disorder, which would generally correspond to higher scores and more complex evaluation. It’s also unrelated to cognitive functioning in terms of intellectual functioning, so the option describing borderline intellectual functioning wouldn’t fit here.