What is the geriatric depression scale

How to study with depression? What do depression scales measure? Is severe depression and clinical depression the same thing? The GDS was originally developed as a 30-item instrument. Since this version proved both time-consuming and difficult for some patients to complete, a 15-item version was developed.

It targets a population with many risk factors for depression, and depression affects them differently than it does younger people. Are you basically satisfied with your life? Geriatric Depression Scale. Have you dropped many of your activities and interests? Do you feel that your life is empty?

Feelings of sadness and occasional “blue” moods are normal. However, lasting depression is not a typical part of aging. Older adults are more likely to suffer from subsyndromal depression. The geriatric depression scale (GDS) is a short question assessment test that is used to diagnose depression.

The questions are all yes or no, and asks about the patients experience over the past week. In order to measure the severity of an elderly patient’s depression, they are asked to answer all questions with a yes or no response based on how they felt over the past week. Note: when asking the patient to complete the form, provide the self-rated form (included on the following page). The scale uses simple questions to measure the level of depression , type of depression , and what could be the underlying causes. Therefore, it taps the affective and behavioral symptoms of depression and excludes most symptoms that may be confused with somatic disease (e.g., slowness, insomnia, hyposexuality) or dementia.

Somatic symptoms such as weight loss, sleep disturbances, and pessimism about the future, are common symptoms of depression among younger people. Most of the other standard depression tests use a graduated system of responding to statements, choosing from among four or more nuanced responses for each statement. It was designed specifically for the age as a screening instrument for depression. There are two iterations of the test, a long- and a short-form version.

The short form is questions, while the long version is twice that. The short version works well for people who are tired easily or suffering from dementia. Unlike most depression screening tools, the GDS requires only yes or no. Total score greater than five indicates probably depression. Issues: The GDS is a screening tool and not a diagnosis.

Scores of - are considered normal, - indicate mild depression and - indicate severe depression. Target Population: The GDS may be used with healthy, medically ill and mild to. The PHQ-is the nine item depression scale of the patient health questionnaire. It is one of the most validated tools in mental health and can be a powerful tool to assist clinicians with diagnosing depression and monitoring treatment response. The nine items of the PHQ-are based directly on the nine diagnostic criteria.

Psychology Definition of GERIATRIC DEPRESSION SCALE (GDS): assessment designed to use with people over years of age and is a self-administered test of questions. Discover more about the GDS screening tool and also some guidelines about depression in the elderly below the form. Although several exploratory factor analytic structures have been proposed for the scale , no independent confirmation has been made available that would enable investigators to confidently identify. Admin time : min User Friendly : High. Administered by : Health care provider or self administered.

Content : questions pertaining to depression. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.