A five-category response set is not utilized in order to ensure that the scale is simple enough to be used when testing ill or moderately cognitively impaired individuals, for whom a more complex set of answers may be confusing, or lead to inaccurate recording of responses.
The GDS is commonly used as a routine part of a comprehensive geriatric assessment.
A diagnosis of clinical depression should not be based on GDS results alone.
A short version of the GDS (GDS-SF) containing 15 questions has been developed,[3] and the scale is available in languages other than English.
The conducted research found the GDS-SF to be an adequate substitute for the original 30-item scale.