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Categories: Assessment , Health & Fitness , Psychology
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The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is a research-validated questionnaire that captures the frequency of depressive feelings, thoughts, and behaviours experienced during the previous seven days. Twenty statements describe common mood indicators, letting you quickly approximate emotional burden without undertaking a full clinical interview or waiting for laboratory diagnostics.

The self-guided engine below asks you to rate how often each statement applied to you during the last week, automatically reverses positively worded items, totals your responses, and plots the score on a semi-circular gauge. The colour bands correspond to accepted CES-D thresholds so you can immediately see whether your weekly symptom load is minimal, mild, moderate, or severe.

For example, someone balancing intense work deadlines and caregiving duties might complete the scale every Sunday night to notice creeping mood changes and decide when to seek additional support. Never adjust medication or delay professional advice solely on a screening result. Results do not constitute a clinical diagnosis. Consult a qualified mental-health professional if symptoms persist, intensify, or cause concern.

Technical Details:

Concept Overview — The CES-D quantifies depressed affect by summing twenty ordinal items scored 0–3. Four positively phrased items are reverse-scored so higher totals reflect more frequent negative mood. The resulting 0–60 distribution shows strong internal consistency (α≈0.85) and aligns with structured interview outcomes. Its brevity and week-long recall make it popular for community surveys and self-monitoring.

T= ∑i=120 si'

Where s′i equals the selected frequency (0–3) or 3 - si for reversed items.

Interpretation Bands

  • 0 – 15 Minimal – Typical day-to-day fluctuation.
  • 16 – 20 Mild – Monitor mood and consider lifestyle changes.
  • 21 – 30 Moderate – Professional talking therapies often recommended.
  • 31 – 60 Severe – Prompt clinical assessment advised.

Variables & Parameters

ParameterMeaningUnit/Range
Item responseFrequency rating for each statementInteger 0–3
Reverse flagIndicates positively worded itemBoolean
Total score (T)Sum of adjusted responsesInteger 0–60
Severity bandCategory inferred from TMinimal / Mild / Moderate / Severe

Assumptions & Limitations

  • Captures symptoms over exactly one week; longer moods may be under-represented.
  • Does not distinguish depressive disorder from situational sadness.
  • Relies on honest self-report; social desirability may skew results.
  • Cultural differences can affect how items are interpreted.

Edge Cases & Error Sources

  • Leaving items blank yields an invalid total.
  • Selecting the same option impulsively for all statements may inflate or deflate risk.
  • Reverse-score logic fails if items are misclassified.
  • Scores near band cut-offs should be interpreted cautiously.

Scientific Validity & References

Key validation studies include Radloff LS (1977), Eaton WW et al. (2004), and Andresen EM (1994), which confirm factor structure and predictive validity against clinical interviews.

Privacy & Compliance

Your selections are processed locally in the browser, aligning with GDPR data-minimisation principles.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Follow these steps to obtain your CES-D total and guidance.

  1. Click Start Assessment to load the questionnaire.
  2. Read each statement and choose how often it described you in the past week.
  3. Use the question list to revisit any items you skipped.
  4. After answering all twenty, review your coloured gauge and summary text.
  5. Optionally print the answer table or jot your score for future comparison.

FAQ:

Who should use this scale?

Adults seeking to monitor recent mood changes or researchers collecting community mental-health data can benefit. It is not validated for children under 16 years.

How often may I repeat it?

Weekly or monthly use is common. More frequent repetition offers little new insight because items ask about the same seven-day window.

What score signals depression?

A total of 16 or above suggests notable symptom frequency. However, only a structured clinical interview can confirm a depressive disorder.

Is my data stored?

No. All calculations occur on-device; nothing leaves your browser.

Can I share my result?

The tool encodes answers in a short link parameter so you may copy the URL and compare results over time or with a clinician.

Glossary:

CES-D
Twenty-item depression symptom questionnaire.
Reverse Score
Subtracting a response from three for positive items.
Ordinal Scale
Values with order but unequal intervals.
Severity Band
Category derived from total score.
GDPR
European data-protection regulation emphasising minimisation.