Geriatric Depression Scale

Overview 

Authors: Yesavage, J.A., Brink, T.L., Rose, T.L., Lum, O., Huang, V., Adey, M., & Leirer, V.O. (short version - Sheikh & Yesavage)

Year of Publication: 1982

Publisher: The Journal of Psychiatric Research

Type of Assessments: 

• Standardized

• Self-report

• Norm-referenced

Cost: Free

How to Access: https://integrationacademy.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/Update%20Geriatric%20Depression%20Scale-30.pdf 

Age: 60+ (Older adults)

Diagnoses: Any adult with age-related mood changes

Setting: Inpatient, outpatient, SNFs, assisted living, primary care, mental health, home health, community-based

Area(s) Assessed:

• Depression

Administration

Time: 5-10 mins

Group/Individual: Individual

Subtests: 30 items

Instructions: Choose the best answer for how you felt over the past week:

• Are you basically satisfied with your life? Yes/No

• Have you dropped many of your activities and interests? Yes/No

• Do you feel that your life is empty? Yes/No

• Do you often get bored? Yes/No

• Are you hopeful about the future? Yes/No

• Are you bothered by thoughts you can t get out of your head? Yes/No

• Are you in good spirits most of the time? Yes/No

• Are you afraid that something bad is going to happen to you? Yes/No

• Do you feel happy most of the time? Yes/No

• Do you often feel helpless? Yes/No

• Do you often get restless and fidgety? Yes/No

• Do you prefer to stay at home, rather than going out and doing new things? Yes/No

• Do you frequently worry about the future? Yes/No

• Do you feel you have more problems with memory than most? Yes/No

• Do you think it is wonderful to be alive now? Yes/No

• Do you often feel downhearted and blue? Yes/No

• Do you feel pretty worthless the way you are now? Yes/No

• Do you worry a lot about the past? Yes/No

• Do you find life very exciting? Yes/No

• Is it hard for you to get started on new projects? Yes/No

• Do you feel full of energy? Yes/No

• Do you feel that your situation is hopeless? Yes/No

• Do you think that most people are better off than you are? Yes/No

• Do you frequently get upset over little things? Yes/No

• Do you frequently feel like crying? Yes/No

• Do you have trouble concentrating? Yes/No

• Do you enjoy getting up in the morning? Yes/No

• Do you prefer to avoid social gatherings? Yes/No

• Is it easy for you to make decisions? Yes/No

• Is your mind as clear as it used to be? Yes/No

Materials: Scoring form

User Qualifications: N/A

Scoring Procedures

How to Score: Scored according to the below-listed answer key by adding each item from 0 to 30. If your responses correspond to the depression-related responses, you will receive one point per response.

• 1. NO 7. NO 13. YES 19. NO 25. YES

• 2. YES 8. YES 14. YES 20. YES 26. YES

• 3. YES 9. NO 15. NO 21. NO 27. NO

• 4. YES 10. YES 16. YES 22. YES 28. YES

• 5. NO 11. YES 17. YES 23. YES 29. NO

• 6. YES 12. YES 18. YES 24. YES 30. NO

• If you respond affirmatively to question 2, you would earn an additional point.

• If you respond “No” to question 3, you will receive no credit.

• You will continue until all of your answers to the 30 questions have been scored.

Score Indications: 

• 0-9: No depression present

• 10-19: Mild Depression likely

• 20-30: Severe Depression likely

Psychometrics

Reliability: (values greater than SDS & HRS-D)

• Split-half reliability = .94

• Inter-item correlations = .36 (greater than SDS & HRS-D)

• Internal consistency: Cronbach's alpha = .94

• Test-retest: .85 (p <0.001)

Validity: 

• Varied = 0.22-.95 (HRS-D)

• F (2, 97) = 99.48, p <0.001

• Positive correlations with highly valid measures of depression including SDS & HRS-D show positive correlations with GDS

Pros & Cons

Strengths:

• Short forms available (GDS-15)

• Translated into 20+ languages

• Mostly widely used screening instruments for depression in older adults

• High reliability & validity for detecting depression in this population

• Sensitive to change & can detect MDD symptoms early on

• Freely accessible

• Can be self-administered - requires little training

• Quick to complete

• Highly applicable to every clinical setting

Weaknesses:

• Only Yes/No questions - no understanding of contextual influences

• Lack items that assess cognitive symptoms of depression like forgetfulness & inability to concentrate

• Self-report - cognitive impairment or poor health status may introduce bias

• Scales do not take into account cultural factors that influence depressive symptoms 

• Does not provide information on severity of symptoms or diagnostic information - cannot substitute a comprehensive diagnostic interview & psych eval

• Does not explain suicidality

• Not suitable for older adults who are cognitively impaired or have dementia (More suitable option - Cornell Scale for Depression)

• Nathan, K. (2022, July 2). Geriatric depression scale (GDS): The long form and short form. Geriatric Academy. https://geriatricacademy.com/geriatric-depression-scale/ 

• Yesavage, J.A., Brink, T.L., Rose, T.L., Lum, O., Huang, V., Adey, M., & Leirer, V.O. (1982). Development and validation of a geriatric depression screening scale: a preliminary report. Journal of Psychiatric Research 17(1), 37-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3956(82)90033-4