Instructions
You might reproduce this scale and use it on a weekly basis to track your moods. It also might be used to show your doctor how your symptoms have changed from one visit to the next. Changes of five or more points are significant. This scale is not designed to make a diagnosis of depression or take the place of a professional diagnosis. If you suspect that you are depressed, please consult a mental health professional as soon as possible.
The 18 items below refer to how you have felt and behaved during the past week. For each item, indicate the extent to which it is true, by checking the appropriate response next to the item.
Responses:
- Not at all (0)
- A little (1)
- Somewhat (2)
- Moderately (3)
- Quite a lot (4)
- Very much (5)
Questionnaire
1. I do things slowly.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
2. My future seems hopeless.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
3. It is hard for me to concentrate on reading.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
4. The pleasure and joy has gone out of my life.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
5. I have difficulty making decisions.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
6. I have lost interest in aspects of life that used to be important to me.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
7. I feel sad, blue, and unhappy.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
8. I am agitated and keep moving around.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
9. I feel fatigued.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
10. It takes great effort for me to do simple things.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
11. I feel that I am a guilty person who deserves to be punished.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
12. I feel like a failure.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
13. I feel lifeless -- more dead than alive.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
14. My sleep has been disturbed -- too little, too much, or broken sleep.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
15. I spend time thinking about HOW I might kill myself.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
16. I feel trapped or caught.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
17. I feel depressed even when good things happen to me.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
18. Without trying to diet, I have lost, or gained, weight.
- Not at all
- Just a little
- Somewhat
- Moderately
- Quite a lot
- Very much
Scoring
- If you score points was less than 9 then depression is not indicated.
- Between 10 and 17 – perhaps some slight depression.
- Between 18 and 21 – perhaps the brink of depression.
- Between 22 and 35 – less than indicated moderate depression.
- Between 36 and 53 – moderate to severe depression can be.
- Over 54 – maybe suffering from severe depression.
About Developer
Ivan K. Goldberg, M.D specializes in the treatment of individuals with treatment-resistant depression. The founder of Depression Central , he is a psychiatrist and clinical psycho-pharmacologist in private practice in New York City. Formerly on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health and the Departments of Psychiatry of the Columbia- Presbyterian Medical Center, and Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, he now devotes his time to evaluating and providing advanced innovative treatment for individuals whose depression or bipolar disorder has not responded to standard drug treatments.
Sources and Additional Information:
