The Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) has two versions: 10 questions and 20 questions.
The DAST-10 and DAST-20 instrument may be given in either a self-report or in a structured interview format. The client replies “yes” or “no” to each of the questions.
The DAST-20 is constructed similarly to the earlier Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), and the DAST items tend to parallel those of the MAST.
The purpose of the DAST is to provide a brief, simple, practical, but valid method for identifying individuals who are abusing psychoactive drugs and to yield a quantitative index score of the degree of problems related to drug use and misuse.
The DAST obtains no information on the various types of drugs used, or on the frequency or duration of the drug use. It includes a question regarding multiple drug use, and some of the types of problems caused by drug use/abuse are surveyed. This includes marital-family relationships, legal, medical symptoms and physical health conditions. An examination of the individual item responses indicates the specific life problem areas.
Each questionnaire includes the scoring directions on the back.
To order the French language version or inquire about digital licensing, please contact publications@camh.ca.
The DAST-10 and the DAST-20 are available in English and French through the CAMH Store.