CES-D (depression scale)

Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (Radloff 1977): the 20-item self-report total (0-60); 16 or more flags clinically significant depressive symptoms.

Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.

Example

Item 1
0
Item 2
0
Item 3
0
Item 4
0
Item 5
0
Item 6
3
Item 7
0
Item 8
0
Item 9
3
Item 10
0
The other 10 values
Item 11
0
Item 12
0
Item 13
0
Item 14
3
Item 15
0
Item 16
0
Item 17
0
Item 18
3
Item 19
0
Item 20
0

Result: CES-D 24/60: 16 or more -- clinically significant depressive symptoms warranting further evaluation.

The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.

What the result means

Scale
20 items rated 0-3 over the past week; total 0-60. The four positively-worded items (4, 8, 12, 16) are reverse-scored per the published key.
Threshold
a total of 16 or more commonly flags clinically significant depressive symptoms warranting further evaluation.

What you enter

  • Item 1 (0-3)
  • Item 2 (0-3)
  • Item 3 (0-3)
  • Item 4 (0-3)
  • Item 5 (0-3)
  • Item 6 (0-3)
  • Item 7 (0-3)
  • Item 8 (0-3)
  • Item 9 (0-3)
  • Item 10 (0-3)
The other 10 fields
  • Item 11 (0-3)
  • Item 12 (0-3)
  • Item 13 (0-3)
  • Item 14 (0-3)
  • Item 15 (0-3)
  • Item 16 (0-3)
  • Item 17 (0-3)
  • Item 18 (0-3)
  • Item 19 (0-3)
  • Item 20 (0-3)
How this is calculated

Radloff LS. The CES-D Scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Appl Psychol Meas. 1977;1(3):385-401. Read the source ↗

A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.

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Built by Clay Good. Source on GitHub.