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Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15)3

Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) Test

Understand mood and depression risk in older adults in about 3 minutes. Fifteen simple yes or no items make it easy to use in clinics or at home to guide next steps.

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Questions: 153 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

14,728 views

3,663 completions

1,144 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

12/15

Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)

Screens depressive symptom burden in older adults based on 15 yes/no items.

No depression indicated

Probable depression

0 – 4: No depression indicated | 5 – 15: Probable depression

A score of 12 falls in the probable depression range, indicating a high level of reported depressive symptoms on this screening scale.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Older adults self-checking mood

46%OF USERS

Seniors who have felt persistently down, less interested, or more withdrawn use it to quickly gauge whether depressive symptoms may be present.

Family caregivers and relatives

33%OF USERS

Adult children, spouses, or caregivers use it to better understand an older loved one’s mood changes and whether additional support might be needed.

Clinicians screening older patients

21%OF USERS

Primary care, geriatric, and mental health professionals use it as a brief screening tool to decide if further assessment or referral is warranted.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

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See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)

Average

8.2

Normal range

5.4 — 11.1

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Select the response option that best reflects your condition over the past week.

- Yes
- No
- Yes
- No
- Yes
- No

These are 3 of the 15 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) Test - Symptoms and Signs

depression

geriatrics

Older adults may have difficulty describing mood symptoms directly, and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) is commonly used as a brief screening measure for depressive symptomatology in later life. Developed by Yesavage, J., it uses a simple response format to support efficient administration in clinical and community settings.

The measure consists of 15 items and typically takes about 3 minutes to complete. It is intended to help identify individuals who may benefit from further assessment; results should be interpreted in context and are not, by themselves, diagnostic.

The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) may be administered in outpatient, inpatient, or home-based contexts and can support referral decisions when depressive symptoms are suspected. When used with diverse populations, clinicians should consider the appropriateness of the available language version and normative references for the intended setting.

Author: Yesavage, J.

Literature: Yesavage, J. A., Brink, T. L., Rose, T. L., Lum, O., Huang, V., Adey, M., & Leirer, V. O. Development and validation of a geriatric depression screening scale: A preliminary report. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 1982.; Sheikh, J. I., & Yesavage, J. A. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS): Recent evidence and development of a shorter version. Clinical Gerontologist. 1986.