| Name of the Instrument/Tool | Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) |
| First Description |
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. J Psychiatr Res. 1982-1983;17(1):37-49. |
| Year | 1982 |
| Domains | |
| Concept of constructs | Anxiety and depression |
| Population/Disease | Generic |
| Originally developed for | --- |
| Other rheumatic diseases where can be applied (only if validated) |
Fibromyalgia (FM), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) |
| Additional population with no rheumatic diseases |
No |
| Language: Originally published in | English |
| Available in Language | Russian, Greek, Hungarian, Turkish, Japanese, Danish, German, Arabic, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, Lithuanian, Vietnamese, Maltese, French, Chinese, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean |
| REFERENCE IDENTIFICATION | |
| Author/s | Yesavage JA, Brink TL, Rose TL, Lum O, Huang V, Adey M, Leirer VO |
| Title | Development and validation of a geriatric depression screening scale: a preliminary report |
| Journal | J Psychiatr Res |
| Year | 1982-1983 |
| Vol | 17 |
| Num | 1 |
| Pages | 37-49 |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Other references of interest | |
| Link | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8805091/ |
| Brief Description |
The Geriatric Depression Scale: a review of its development and utility |
| Link | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18978252/ |
| Brief Description |
Screening performance of the 15-item geriatric depression scale in a diverse elderly home care population |
| Link | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33091258/ |
| Brief Description |
Measures of Depression and Depressive Symptoms |
| Instrument/Tool Translations References | |
| Link | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11921157/ |
| Brief Description |
Validation of the Spanish version of the geriatric depression scale (GDS) in primary care |
| Link | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21598210/ |
| Brief Description |
Validität der Geriatrischen Depressionsskala bei Altenheimbewohnern: Vergleich von GDS-15, GDS-8 und GDS-4 [Validity of the geriatric depression scale in nursing home residents: comparison of GDS-15, GDS-8, and GDS-4] |
| Link | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28452641/ |
| Brief Description |
Validity and Reliability Study of the Japanese Version of the Geriatric Depression Scale 15 (GDS-15-J) |
| DEVELOPER CONTACT INFORMATION | |
| Correspondence to | Jerome A Yesavage |
| yesavage@stanford.edu | |
| Address | Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System, MC 151Y, Palo Alto, CA, USA. |
| Website | --- |
| Available | --- |
| Links | --- |
| DESCRIPTION OF THE INSTRUMENT | |
| Type Of Measure | Scale |
| Brief Description |
Developed as a self-rating screening tool to measure depressive symptoms in older adults. Designed to identify depression in the elderly by distinguishing symptoms of depression and dementia. Items represent characteristics of depression in the elderly in the affective (e.g., sadness, apathy, crying) and cognitive domains (e.g., thoughts of hopelessness, helplessness, guilt, worthlessness). The GDS contains no somatic concerns common in the elderly (i.e., disturbances in energy level, appetite, sleep, sexual interest). |
| Number of Items | 15 for the short form, 30 for the long form |
| Range | 0-15 for the short form; 0-30 for the long form. |
| Responses options/scale |
No |
| Developed for | Both |
| PRACTICAL APPLICATION | |
| Method of administration | Interviewer/assessor, Self-administered |
| Recommendations to score |
The range is 0 (no depression) to 30 (severe depression) for long form, and 0 (no depression) to 15 (severe depression) for short form Total score calculated by summing responses that endorse depression. Negatively endorsing items 1, 5, 7, 9, 15, 19, 21, 27, and 29 indicates depression, while positively endorsing the remaining 20 items indicates depression. In the short form the total score is calculated by summing responses that endorse depression. Negatively endorsing items 1, 5, 7, 11, and 13 indicates depression, while positively endorsing the remaining 10 items indicates depression. |
| Score Interpretation | Higher scores indicate more severe depression |
| Cut-off points | Long form: 0 –9: normal, 10 –19 :mild depression, and 20 –30: severe depression. Short form: >5 are suggestive of depression and >10 indicate highly likely depression |
| Cut-off points applied to | Both |
| Smallest detectable change if described | --- |
| Smallest detectable change applied to | --- |
| Completion time by the patient | 2-10 minutes |
| Scoring time by the assessor | 2 minutes |
| Training to score | >5 |
| Strengths | Widely used, Useful in clinical practice & research |
| Limitations | --- |
| OTHER COMMENTS | |
| Other Comments | --- |