The Geriatric Depression Scale – 15-item short form (GDS-15) is a brief self-report or interviewer-administered screen for depressive symptoms in older adults, derived from the original 30-item GDS developed for use in medical and community settings.

Sheikh and Yesavage created the short form in 1986 by selecting 15 items that correlated most strongly with the 30-item total score in older adults. In their study, both the full scale and GDS-15 distinguished depressed from non-depressed participants with similar accuracy, while the 15-item version typically took around 5–7 minutes to complete.

Subsequent studies and meta-analyses across primary care, community and hospital settings have found that GDS-15 has good diagnostic accuracy for major depression in older adults, with pooled sensitivity roughly 0.85–0.90 and specificity around 0.75–0.80 at cut-off scores near 5. Shorter GDS versions (4–10 items) exist, but GDS-15 remains the most widely used brief format.

Cut-offs vary between studies and populations. Many tools and guidance documents treat scores ≥5 as a positive screen that should prompt further clinical assessment, while some inpatient or high-risk cohorts use higher thresholds (for example 6–7 or 9–10) to improve specificity. This calculator uses 0–4, 5–9 and 10–15 bands as a pragmatic framework for general practice, geriatrics and hospital care rather than as stand-alone diagnostic cut-points.

Performance is best in older adults who can understand and respond to simple yes/no questions. Accuracy is reduced in moderate to severe cognitive impairment, delirium, major communication barriers or when proxy respondents answer on the person’s behalf; in these settings a comprehensive mental health and cognitive assessment is more reliable.

The GDS-15 focuses on psychological and cognitive symptoms of depression and deliberately minimises somatic items that may reflect ageing or physical illness. It does not include explicit questions about suicidal ideation or self-harm, so it should always be used alongside a direct risk assessment and broader evaluation of mood, anxiety, medical contributors and psychosocial stressors.

Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15)