Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)

It depends because some are self-assessments. Sometimes, psychologists will be observing and evaluate their patients. Based on those, the answers or ratings are subjective, but there are sometimes score ranges that give a semblance of objectivity, just so the psychologist can determine the courses of action they can possibly take to help their clients.

In the case of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), a score of 16 or higher means that your patient is depressed. The higher the score, the more severe their depression is likely to be.

At the start of your program with your patient is often the best time to use this for the first time because you want to gauge the severity of their depression or to see if you need to move forward to have them officially diagnosed.

That depends on you, but it’s best to reuse this scale when treating your patient. Reusing this scale will help you track their progress over time and see whether they’re getting better or not, and whether your care plan is working or needs improvements.

As to when you should reissue this, that’s up to you. Given that this depression scale asks the user to answer based on how they’ve been feeling for the past week, perhaps reissuing this weekly might be best. It’s best to discuss that with your client and see what they’re comfortable with.