Welcome to the CESD-R

The CESD-R is a screening test for depression and depressive disorder. The CESD-R measures symptoms defined by the American Psychiatric Association' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V) for a major depressive episode.

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About CESD-R What is Depression?
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About CESD-R

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) was created in 1977 by Laurie Radloff, 1 and revised in 2004 by William Eaton and others.2 The CESD has been the workhorse of depression epidemiology since its first use in the Community Mental Health Assessment Surveys in the 1970's,3,4 and use in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.5 It has survived transition to the telephone as well as a self-administered version, and is usable with typically undercounted populations such as the elderly and the economically disadvantaged.

The scale is well known and remains as one of the most widely used instruments in the field of psychiatric epidemiology.6-9

A review of the history of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and its uses, as well as a full description of the creation of the revised scale (CESDR) is available.2

References:

  1. Radloff LS. The CES-D scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement. 1977;1:385-401.

  2. Eaton WW, Muntaner C, Smith C, Tien A, Ybarra M. Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale: Review and revision (CESD and CESD-R). In: Maruish ME, ed. The Use of Psychological Testing for Treatment Planning and Outcomes Assessment. 3rd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum; 2004:363-377.

  3. Comstock GW, Helsing KJ. Symptoms of depression in two communities. Psychological Medicine. 1976;6(4):551-563.

  4. Radloff LS, Locke BZ. The community mental health assessment survey and the CES-D Scale. In: Weissman MM, Myers JK, Ross CE, eds. Community surveys of psychiatric disorders. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press; 1986:177-189.

  5. Eaton WW, Kessler LG. Rates of symptoms of depression in a national sample. American Journal of Epidemiology. 1981;114:528-538.

  6. Murphy JM. Symptom scales and diagnostic schedules in adult psychiatry. In: Tsuang MT, Tohen M, eds. Textbook in Psychiatric Epidemiology. New York: Wiley-Liss; 2002:273-332.

  7. Naughton MJ, Wiklund I. A critical review of dimension-specific measures of health-related quality of life in cross-cultural research. Quality of Life Research: An International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care & Rehabilitation. 1993;2(6):397-432.

  8. Snaith P. What do depression rating scales measure? British Journal of Psychiatry. 1993;163:293-298.

  9. Nezu AM, Nezu CM, McClure KS, Zwick ML. Assessment of depression. In: Gotlieb IH, Hammen CL, eds. Handbook of depression and its treatment. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 2002:61-85.

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About CESD-R What is Depression?
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What is Depression?

What is Depression?

Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad, but these feelings are usually fleeting and pass within a few hours or a couple of days. When people have a depressive disorder, they feel really sad for a long time and cannot shake this feeling. It interferes with their ability to do things in their lives that they normally can do well; and it causes pain for both the people with the disorder and those who care about them. Depressive disorder is a common but serious illness. Many people never seek treatment for their depression, but most people who experience depression feel better if they get treatment.

How can I help myself if I am depressed?

If you are unsure where to go for help, ask your family doctor or mental health professional. You can also check the phone book under ‘mental health,’ ‘health,’ ’social services,’ ‘hotlines,’ or ‘physicians’ for phone numbers and addresses. There are many useful online resources as well, including:

An emergency room doctor also can provide temporary help and can tell you where and how to get further help.

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CESD-R Score Explanation

Below is an explanation of the algorithm used to calculate the depression scores and categories, intended for researchers who may want to use the CESDR.

The 20 items in CESDR scale measure symptoms of depression in nine different groups as defined by the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fifth edition. These symptom groups are shown below, with their associated scale question numbers to the right.

  1. Sadness(Dysphoria): Question numbers 2,4, 6
  2. Loss of Interest(Anhedonia): Question numbers 8, 10
  3. Appetite: Question numbers 1, 18
  4. Sleep: Question numbers 5, 11, 19
  5. Thinking / concentration: Question numbers 3, 20
  6. Guilt(Worthlessness): Question numbers 9, 17
  7. Tired(fatigue): Question numbers 7, 16
  8. Movement(Agitation): Question numbers 12, 13
  9. Suicidal ideation: Question numbers 14, 15

Calculating the overall CESD-style symptom score

The response values for each question are:

The Total CESD-R Score is calculated as a sum of responses to all 20 questions. In order to make the revised CESD-R have the same range as the original version i.e., the 'CESD style score'), the values for the top two responses are given the same value:

As in the original CESD the range of possible scores is between 0 (for those who say 'not at all or less than one day to all 20 questions' and 60 (for those who say '5-7 days' or 'nearly every day for 2 weeks' for all 20 questions).

Determining categories

The determination of possible depressive symptom category is based upon an algorithm with the following logic:



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CESD-R Mobile

My appetite was poor.

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I could not shake off the blues.

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I had trouble keeping my mind on what I was doing.

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I felt depressed.

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My sleep was restless.

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I felt sad.

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I could not get going.

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Nothing made me happy.

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I felt like a bad person.

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I lost interest in my usual activities.

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I slept much more than usual.

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I felt like I was moving too slowly.

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I felt fidgety.

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I wished I were dead.

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I wanted to hurt myself.

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I was tired all the time.

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I did not like myself.

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I lost a lot of weight without trying to.

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I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep.

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I could not focus on the important things.

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Your CESD-R Results

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About CESD-R What is Depression?