How these tools are built

Every tool on this site is either a validated screening instrument reproduced under its copyright holder's terms, a transparent formula from published research, or a well-documented practice from cognitive-behavioral and sleep science. This page explains the grading you see on each tool.

Evidence grades

• Strong — validated instruments with decades of published psychometrics (GAD-7, PHQ-9, WHO-5, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory) or techniques with robust trial evidence (stimulus-control/scheduled worry, cognitive restructuring).
• Moderate — well-studied approaches where evidence is good but narrower (4-7-8 breathing, grounding techniques, sleep-cycle timing, pink noise for sleep).
• Emerging — popular, plausible, low-risk tools where formal research is thin (brown noise, spoon-theory pacing, screen-time reflection). We say so honestly.

Instrument licensing

• GAD-7 and PHQ-9 © Drs. Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, and Löwe — made freely available by Pfizer Inc.; no permission required for reproduction.
• WHO-5 Well-Being Index © World Health Organization, used per its open license with attribution.
• Copenhagen Burnout Inventory by Kristensen et al., freely available for use with citation.
• We deliberately do not offer instruments requiring commercial licenses (STAI, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Insomnia Severity Index) — nor unlicensed imitations of them.

Scoring accuracy

Every scoring function is unit-tested against the published cutoffs of its source instrument. Formula tools (sleep cycles, caffeine half-life) show their formula on the page and cite their sources in the references section.

What scores mean

Screening instruments estimate symptom burden; they do not diagnose. We show the same interpretation bands clinicians use, explain them in plain language, and point elevated scores toward professional support — always.