20-item self-report scale measuring affective, psychological, and somatic symptoms of depression. ≈ 5 min to complete. Free with attribution.
SDS (Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess 20-item self-report scale measuring affective, psychological, and somatic symptoms of depression.. It is most often used for 20-item self-report scale measuring affective, psychological, and somatic symptoms of depression.. The instrument contains 20 items. Typical administration time is ≈ 5 min.
Source / attribution: Free to use with citation
20-item self-report scale measuring affective, psychological, and somatic symptoms of depression. SDS is part of standard practice in this setting because it provides a structured, replicable assessment that can be tracked over time and compared across patients or visits.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, SDS is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 20 items below to see your SDS score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 4-point scale (1–4). Your score updates live as you answer.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
Sum raw scores, multiply by 1.25 to get index score (25-100). Index < 50 = normal, 50-59 = mild, 60-69 = moderate, >= 70 = severe.
Scoring notes: Sum raw scores, multiply by 1.25 to get index score (25-100). Index < 50 = normal, 50-59 = mild, 60-69 = moderate, >= 70 = severe.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 25–49 | Normal | None |
| 50–59 | Mild depression | Monitor |
| 60–69 | Moderate depression | Consider treatment |
| 70–100 | Severe depression | Active treatment |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I feel down-hearted and blue | Good part of the time | 3 |
| 2 | Morning is when I feel the best | Some of the time | 3 |
| 3 | I have crying spells or feel like it | Good part of the time | 3 |
| 4 | I have trouble sleeping at night | Good part of the time | 3 |
| 5 | I eat as much as I used to | Some of the time | 3 |
| 6 | I still enjoy the things I used to | Some of the time | 3 |
| 7 | I notice that I am losing weight | Good part of the time | 3 |
| 8 | I have trouble with constipation | Good part of the time | 3 |
| 9 | My heart beats faster than usual | Good part of the time | 3 |
| 10 | I get tired for no reason | Good part of the time | 3 |
| 11 | My mind is as clear as it used to be | Some of the time | 3 |
| 12 | I find it easy to do the things I used to | Good part of the time | 2 |
| 13 | I am restless and can't keep still | Some of the time | 2 |
| 14 | I feel hopeful about the future | Some of the time | 3 |
| 15 | I am more irritable than usual | Some of the time | 2 |
| 16 | I find it easy to make decisions | Some of the time | 3 |
| 17 | I feel that I am useful and needed | Some of the time | 3 |
| 18 | My life is pretty full | Good part of the time | 2 |
| 19 | I feel that others would be better off without me | Some of the time | 2 |
| 20 | I still enjoy the things I used to do | Some of the time | 3 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + … (items 9–20 sum to 31) = 55
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 55 falls between 50 and 59 → Mild depression
Mild depression. Monitor
A score is one input alongside history and examination. SDS supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
Psychometric figures are drawn from the validation literature and may vary across clinical populations and translations.
If SDS doesn't fit your context, related instruments in depression include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHQ-2 | Ultra-brief depression screening for busy clinical settings. | 2 | ≈ 1 min |
| PHQ-8 | Research version of PHQ-9 excluding suicidality item for general population studies. | 8 | ≈ 2 min |
| CES-D | 20-item screening test for depressive symptoms in the general population. | 20 | ≈ 5 min |
| HADS-D | 7-item depression subscale designed for hospital and clinical outpatient settings. | 7 | ≈ 2 min |
| PHQ-9 | Severity of depression | 9 | ≈ 3 minutes |
| GAD-7 | Severity of generalized anxiety | 7 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| AUDIT | 10-item WHO screening tool for hazardous alcohol consumption and dependence. | 10 | ≈ 3 min |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
SDS (Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale) is a validated instrument that assesses affective, psychological, and somatic symptoms of depression. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. It takes about 5 min to complete, and the 20 items are summed to produce a total score.
SDS typically takes about 5 min to administer. The exact duration varies a little depending on whether it is self-administered or completed with a clinician. Its brief format is part of what makes it practical for routine clinical use and for repeat administration when tracking change over time.
SDS contains 20 items. Item scores are summed to produce the total. Scores run from 25 to 100, grouped into 4 interpretation bands from ‘Normal’ up to ‘Severe depression’.
On the SDS (total score 25–100), scores of 70–100 fall in the ‘Severe depression’ band — interpreted as: Active treatment. The full ladder is: 25–49 — Normal: None.; 50–59 — Mild depression: Monitor.; 60–69 — Moderate depression: Consider treatment.; 70–100 — Severe depression: Active treatment. A higher score reflects a more severe presentation, and crossing a cutoff is a prompt to step up assessment or care — but these bands are screening thresholds, not diagnoses.
Scores of 25–49 fall in the ‘Normal’ band: None. A low score is reassuring but does not by itself rule out the underlying condition — if symptoms or clinical suspicion persist, reassess over time or use a complementary evaluation rather than relying on the number alone.
SDS has reported Cronbach's α of 0.81 in validation samples and test–retest reliability of 0.7. Widely validated across cultures and clinical settings. In practical terms, a Cronbach’s α around 0.81 indicates good internal consistency (the items hang together well), and a test–retest reliability of 0.7 means scores are well when the scale is repeated without real clinical change.
SDS is free to use with attribution — clinical, educational, and research use is permitted provided the original source is credited. If you publish results or reproduce the scale, include the citation to the source paper.
Zung, W. W. (1965). A self-rating depression scale. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12(1), 63-70. This is the original publication for the SDS — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. SDS is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is clinical assessment of affective, psychological, and somatic symptoms of depression — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
SDS is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: