Geriatric Depression Scale

The Geriatric Depression Scale is commonly used to screen mood disorder which may impact on performance of other cognitive assessments. A score of 5 or more is suggestive of an underlying mood disorder and further clinical assessment is recommended.

There has been some concern about its accuracy in detecting minor depression. It is suitable for use with people with a Mini-Mental Status score of more than 14. It takes 5-10 minutes to complete.

The Geriatric Depression Scale is available in many languages.