, Unipolar major depression (major depressive
When do you consider
disorder) is characterized by a history of one or
Unipolar versus Bipolar
more major depressive episodes (table 3) and no
depression
history of mania (table 1) or hypomania
Scoring Instructions. Score 1 point for each bolded
answer. A score of 5 or more suggests depression.
Geriatric Depression
Scale (GDS)
Self-reporting tool that may be used to diagnose
and treat depression
The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is a self-
report measure of depression in older adults. Users
respond in a "Yes/No" format. The GDS was
originally developed as a 30-item instrument. Since
this version proved both time-consuming and
Geriatric Depression difficult for some patients to complete, a 15-item
Scale version was developed. The shortened form (GDS-
S) is comprised of 15 items chosen from the Geriatric
Depression Scale-Long Form (GDS-L). These 15
items were chosen because of their high correlation
with depressive symptoms in previous validation
studies
he GDS may be used with healthy, medically ill and
Geriatric Depression
mild to moderately cognitively impaired older
Scale: Targeted
adults. It has been extensively used in community,
Population
acute care, and long-term care settings.
, Pharmacologic, psychotherapeutic, or combination
treatment indicated of the 15 items, 10 indicated the
presence of depression when answered positively,
while the rest (question numbers 1, 5, 7, 11, 13)
indicated depression when answered negatively.
Scores of 0-4 are considered normal, depending on
age, education, and complaints; (No Treatment)
5-8 indicate mild depression; (Pharmacologic or
Geriatric Depression
psychotherapeutic treatment may be indicated
Scale (GDS): Score
Base treatment on duration of symptoms and
functional impairment
9-11 indicate moderate depression; (Pharmacologic,
psychotherapeutic, or combination treatment
indicated)
12-15 indicate severe depression.(Pharmacologic,
psychotherapeutic, or combination treatment
indicated
The presence of depression warrants prompt
intervention and treatment. The GDS may be used to
Geriatric Depression monitor depression over time in all clinical settings.
Scale (GDS): Indication
for Intervention Any positive score above 5 on the GDS Short Form
should prompt an in-depth psychological
assessment and evaluation for suicidality.
A brief 9-item self-report questionnaire used as a
screening tool to assess severity of depression;
Patient Health
widely used by health care providers, in validity is
Questionnaire [PHQ-9]
well established, particularly for identifying severe
depression.
, Widely used to screen for depression and to
measure behavioral manifestations and severity of
depression.
The BDI can be used for ages 13 to 80. The inventory
The Beck Depression
contains 21 self-report items which individuals
Inventory (BDI)
complete using multiple choice response formats.
The BDI takes approximately 10 minutes to
complete. Validity and reliability of the BDI has been
tested across populations, worldwide.
Designed for use in the general population and is
now used as a screener for depression in primary
care settings.
It includes 20 self-report items, scored on a 4-point
scale, which measure major dimensions of
Center for Epidemiologic
depression experienced in the past week.
Studies Depression Scale
(CES-D)
The CES-D can be used for children as young as 6
and through older adulthood. It has been tested
across gender and cultural populations and
maintains consistent validity and reliability. The scale
takes about 20 minutes to administer, including
scoring.
The EQ-5D is a standardized, non-disease specific
instrument for describing and evaluating health-
related quality of life. The instrument measures
EQ-5D
quality of life in five dimensions: mobility, self-care,
usual activities, pain/discomfort and
anxiety/depression.
Sadness, lethargy, inactivity and feelings of
helplessness and hopelessness
Mood Disorders: Genetic link
Depression Behavioral changes: slower motor reactions
Cognitive changes: cognitive distortions
Physical changes: alters immune functioning