Screening for Depression in Adults: Summary of Evidence. Table 1. Characteristics of Case-Finding Instruments Used to Detect Depression in Adults in Primary Care Settings

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Table 1. Characteristics of Case-Finding Instruments Used to Detect Depression in Adults in Primary Care Settings¹

Instrument	Items, n²	Time Frame of Questions	Score Range	Usual Cut-Point ³	Literacy Level ⁴	Administration Time, min
Beck Depression Inventory	21	Today	0-63	Mild, 10; moderate, 20; severe, 30	Easy	2-5
Center for Epidemiologic Study Depression Screen	20	Past week	0-60	16	Easy	2-5
General Health Questionnaire	28	Past few weeks	0-28	4	Easy	5-10
Medical Outcomes Study Depression Screen	8	Past week	0-1	0.06	Average	< 2
Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders	2	Past month	0-2	1	Average	< 2
Symptom Driven Diagnostic System-Primary Care	5	Past month	0-4	2	Easy	< 2
Zung Self-Assessment Depression Scale	20	Recently	25-100	Mild, 50; moderate, 60; severe, 70	Easy	2-5

¹ Adapted from reference 10.
² Item numbers for the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders and the Symptom Driven Diagnostic System-Primary Care refer to depression questions only. Several instruments now have shortened versions as well.
³ The cut-point is the number at or above which the test is considered positive.
⁴ "Easy" is a third- to fifth-grade reading level, and "average" is a sixth- to ninth-grade reading level, according to the fog formula.

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Table 1. Characteristics of Case-Finding Instruments Used to Detect Depression in Adults in Primary Care Settings1

Table 1. Characteristics of Case-Finding Instruments Used to Detect Depression in Adults in Primary Care Settings¹