Geriatric Depression Scale

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Objective[edit | edit source]

The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is a patient-reported outcome measure created by Yesavage et al. in 1982 to screen depressive symptoms among older adults.[1][2]

Originally, this screening tool has 30 items, but several shorter versions were also developed:

  • GDS 15
  • GDS 10
  • GDS 4

Intended Population[edit | edit source]

The scale is intended for the geriatric population (aged 60 years or more). It can be used for healthy, medically ill, and cognitively impaired older adults.[3]

Method of Use[edit | edit source]

Equipment required: Questionnaire and pen

Instructions: Choose between yes or no regarding how you felt over the past week

Scoring:

GDS 30

  • 0 - 9 = Normal
  • 10 - 19 = Mild Depression
  • 20 - 30 Severe Depression

GDS 15

  • 0-4 = Normal
  • 5-8 = Mild Depression
  • 9-11 = Moderate Depression
  • 12-15 = Severe Depression

Evidence[edit | edit source]

Reliability[edit | edit source]

Validity[edit | edit source]

In a 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis, all versions of GDS were found to be useful for determining depression among older adults:[1]

GDS version Sensitivity Specificity
GDS 30 82% 76%
GDS 15 86% 79%
GDS 10 87% 75%
GDS 4 74% 71%

Links[edit | edit source]

GDS 30

GDS 15

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Krishnamoorthy Y, Rajaa S, Rehman T. Diagnostic accuracy of various forms of geriatric depression scale for screening of depression among older adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2020 Mar 1;87:104002.
  2. Stone LE, Granier KL, Segal DL. Geriatric depression scale. In Encyclopedia of gerontology and population aging 2022 May 24 (pp. 2112-2119). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
  3. Yesavage JA, Brink TL, Rose TL, Lum O, Huang V, Adey M, Leirer VO. Development and validation of a geriatric depression screening scale: a preliminary report. Journal of psychiatric research. 1982 Jan 1;17(1):37-49.