Screening check
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15): your score and what it means
The Geriatric Depression Scale short form is 15 yes/no questions designed to screen for depression in older adults. Answer for how you have felt over the past week. Your score is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a diagnosis.
Choose the best answer for how you have felt over the past week:
15 yes/no questions. Nothing you choose leaves this page.
What you will see
Your GDS-15 score out of 15, how it compares with the authors' cut points, and which questions scored a point.
Educational only, not medical advice. A screening questionnaire, not a diagnosis of depression.
Source
Geriatric Depression Scale short form (GDS-15), Sheikh JI and Yesavage JA, Clinical Gerontologist 1986, shortened from the 30-item GDS (Yesavage and colleagues, Journal of Psychiatric Research 1982-1983). The questions, the answer that scores each point and the cut points are as printed on the authors' scoring page, which says the original scale is in the public domain.
Validated in
The 30-item GDS was built and tested in older adults classed as normal, mildly depressed or severely depressed by Research Diagnostic Criteria (Yesavage 1983); the 15-item short form was drawn from it (Sheikh and Yesavage 1986).
Limits
Screens for depression; it does not diagnose it, which needs a clinician's interview. The authors note that sensitivity and specificity have differed from study to study. It has no question on thoughts of suicide or self-harm, so it cannot judge that risk. The score only reflects the past week and the answers you enter.
How the GDS-15 is scored
Each question has a yes or no answer, and one answer per question scores 1 point. For 10 questions a "yes" scores; for questions 1, 5, 7, 11 and 13, which ask about feeling satisfied, in good spirits, happy, glad to be alive and full of energy, a "no" scores. The points are added for a total from 0 to 15 (GDS authors' page).
| Question | Scores 1 point |
|---|---|
| 1. Are you basically satisfied with your life? | No |
| 2. Have you dropped many of your activities and interests? | Yes |
| 3. Do you feel that your life is empty? | Yes |
| 4. Do you often get bored? | Yes |
| 5. Are you in good spirits most of the time? | No |
| 6. Are you afraid that something bad is going to happen to you? | Yes |
| 7. Do you feel happy most of the time? | No |
| 8. Do you often feel helpless? | Yes |
| 9. Do you prefer to stay at home, rather than going out and doing new things? | Yes |
| 10. Do you feel you have more problems with memory than most? | Yes |
| 11. Do you think it is wonderful to be alive now? | No |
| 12. Do you feel pretty worthless the way you are now? | Yes |
| 13. Do you feel full of energy? | No |
| 14. Do you feel that your situation is hopeless? | Yes |
| 15. Do you think that most people are better off than you are? | Yes |
What the score means
| Score | What the scale's authors say |
|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Below the point that suggests a follow-up interview |
| 6 to 10 | Above 5 "is suggestive of depression and should warrant a follow-up interview" |
| 11 to 15 | Scores above 10 "are almost always depression" |
These are the cut points on the authors' scoring page, which adds that sensitivities and specificities have differed across studies (GDS authors' page). A screening score is a reason to talk to a clinician, who can check for depression and for other causes, such as a physical illness or a medicine.
Why a scale made for older adults
The GDS was designed specifically for rating depression in older people (Yesavage 1983). Its questions are yes/no items, and the 15-item short form is a shorter version drawn from the original 30 items (Sheikh and Yesavage 1986). The authors suggest the 30-item scale is a reliable and valid self-rating depression screen for older populations (Yesavage 1983).
Who should be screened
The USPSTF recommends screening all adults for depression, including adults 65 and older (grade B) (USPSTF 2023). It found the evidence insufficient to judge screening everyone for suicide risk (USPSTF 2023). The GDS-15 does not ask about suicide, so if you have thoughts of being better off dead or of hurting yourself, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, free and confidential, any time (988 Lifeline), or call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
Common questions
GDS-15 or PHQ-9: which should I take?
Both are screening questionnaires. The PHQ-9 asks how often you have had nine symptoms over two weeks and includes a question on thoughts of self-harm (Kroenke 2001); the GDS-15 uses yes/no questions about the past week and was built for older adults (Yesavage 1983). Your doctor may use either.
Does question 10 about memory mean I have dementia?
No. It is one of the 15 depression items (GDS authors' page). If memory problems worry you, see the memory screening check and tell your doctor.
Can someone else fill it in for me?
The GDS is a self-rating scale (Yesavage 1983), so the score here assumes the answers are your own.
Also see the PHQ-9 depression screening, the memory (cognitive impairment) screening check, the anxiety screening (GAD-7), the FRAIL scale and the screening tests by age.
Sources
- Sheikh JI, Yesavage JA. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS): recent evidence and development of a shorter version. Clin Gerontol. 1986;5(1-2):165-173. doi.org/10.1300/J018v05n01_09
- 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. PMID 7183759. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7183759/
- Yesavage JA. Geriatric Depression Scale: short form and scoring (English). Stanford University; the original scale is in the public domain. web.stanford.edu/~yesavage/GDS.html
- US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Depression and Suicide Risk in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. 2023;329(23):2057. www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/screening-depression-suicide-risk-adults
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call, text or chat 988; available 24/7, free and confidential. 988lifeline.org/
Written and maintained by the uncovermyrisk.com editorial team. We do not have a medical reviewer; every claim links to its primary source above. Last reviewed: 2026-11-01. Spotted an error? See About.