DePaul Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ-2)
A full ME/CFS symptom assessment across eight domains
The DSQ-2 is a comprehensive self-report questionnaire developed by Leonard Jason, Hannah Bedree, and Madison Sunnquist at DePaul University to assess the symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). It is the revised version of the original DePaul Symptom Questionnaire, with improved items and additional symptoms covering the newer case definitions. It is one of the standard research instruments used to characterise ME/CFS symptomatology, and it is free to use.
This interactive version groups the symptoms into the eight domains identified by the study's factor analysis — post-exertional malaise, cognitive impairment, fever and flu-like symptoms, pain, sleep disruption, orthostatic intolerance, genitourinary symptoms, and temperature intolerance — so that a long questionnaire feels structured rather than overwhelming. Each symptom is rated for how often you have had it and how severe it has been over the past six months.
When you finish, you will get a domain-by-domain breakdown, a visual profile of which systems are most affected, and a screen of your responses against the four major ME/CFS case definitions: Fukuda (1994), the Canadian Consensus Criteria (2003), the ME International Consensus Criteria (2011), and the IOM/NAM criteria (2015). It is designed for anyone with suspected ME/CFS, long COVID, post-viral fatigue, or overlapping conditions who wants a thorough, structured symptom record to take to an appointment.
It takes about 10–15 minutes. It is presented one section at a time and your answers are saved in your browser as you go, so you can pause and pick up where you left off. Nothing you enter leaves your device, and no sign-up or email is required. If you would like a quick screen first, the 4-question DSQ-Brief takes under two minutes.
Your DSQ-2 results
Symptom profile
Average symptom score in each domain (0–100). The taller the bar, the more that system is affected.
Domain breakdown
Case-definition screening
Whether your reported symptoms are consistent with each of the four major ME/CFS case definitions. This is a screen of self-reported symptoms, not a diagnosis.
Understanding your results
The domain scores show where your symptom burden is concentrated. In ME/CFS, the post-exertional malaise domain is the one that matters most — it is the feature that most distinguishes the condition from ordinary fatigue or deconditioning. A profile weighted towards PEM and cognitive impairment, with orthostatic and sleep involvement, is a common ME/CFS pattern.
The case-definition screen applies published algorithms to your answers. Different definitions ask for different things, so it is normal to meet some and not others; the ME-ICC in particular is deliberately strict. Meeting a definition here means your reported symptoms are consistent with it — it is not a clinical diagnosis, which requires a doctor, an examination, and the exclusion of other conditions that can cause the same symptoms.
These results are most useful printed or written down and taken to an appointment. They give a structured, specific account of what you are experiencing, which is often hard to convey in a short consultation.
This is not a diagnosis. It reflects what you have reported about your own symptoms. Discuss your results with your doctor or specialist. The case-definition algorithms follow those described in Bedree, Sunnquist & Jason (2019).