Goldberg Depression Scale

By: Ivan Goldberg

Instructions: You might reproduce this scale and use it on a weekly basis to track your moods. It also might be used to show your doctor how your symptoms have changed from one visit to the next. Changes of five or more points are significant. This scale is not designed to make a diagnosis of depression or take the place of a professional diagnosis. If you suspect that you are depressed, please consult with a mental health professional as soon as possible.

The items  below  refer  to how  you have  felt  and behaved  DURING THE  
PAST WEEK. For each item, indicate the extent to which it is true, by     
circling one of  the numbers that follows it.  Using the following scale: 

0 = Not at all                1 = Just a little               2 = Somewhat

3 = Moderately                4 = Quite a lot                5 = Very much
==========================================================================
1.  I do things slowly.                              0   1   2   3   4   5

2.  My future seems hopeless.                        0   1   2   3   4   5

3.  It is hard for me to concentrate on reading.     0   1   2   3   4   5

4.  The pleasure and joy has gone out of my life.    0   1   2   3   4   5

5.  I have difficulty making decisions.              0   1   2   3   4   5

6.  I have lost interest in aspects of life that 
    used to be important to me.                      0   1   2   3   4   5

7.  I feel sad, blue, and unhappy.                   0   1   2   3   4   5

8.  I am agitated and keep moving around.            0   1   2   3   4   5

9.  I feel fatigued.                                 0   1   2   3   4   5

10. It takes great effort for me to do 
    simple things.                                   0   1   2   3   4   5

11.  I feel that I am a guilty person who deserves 
     to be punished.                                 0   1   2   3   4   5

12.  I feel like a failure.                          0   1   2   3   4   5

13.  I feel lifeless - - - more dead than alive.     0   1   2   3   4   5

14.  My sleep has been disturbed---too little, too 
     much, or broken sleep.                          0   1   2   3   4   5

15.  I spend time thinking about HOW I might 
     kill myself.                ~~~                 0   1   2   3   4   5

16.  I feel trapped or caught.                       0   1   2   3   4   5

17.  I feel depressed even when good things 
     happen to me.                                   0   1   2   3   4   5

18.  Without trying to diet, I have lost, or 
     gained, weight.                                 0   1   2   3   4   5

                        Copyright (c) 1993  Ivan Goldberg

Last reviewed:
  On 15 Sep 2002
  By John M. Grohol, Psy.D.