Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS): A Review
Depression is a common mental health disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. It can have a negative impact on an individual’s quality of life and can even lead to suicide. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to be able to diagnose and monitor patients with depression accurately. One of the most widely used tools for diagnosing and measuring depressive symptoms is the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). The purpose of this review is to discuss the SDS and its utility in the diagnosis and monitoring of depression.
The SDS was developed in 1965 by William W. Zung, a psychiatrist at Duke University, as a self-report questionnaire to diagnose depression. It consists of 20 items that measure the severity of depression based on symptoms such as sadness, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, sleep disturbances, loss of energy, and poor concentration. Each item is rated on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 being “not at all” and 4 being “most or all of the time.” The total score is calculated by adding up the scores for each item, with a score of 50 or higher indicating a diagnosis of depression.
The SDS has been widely used in research and clinical settings. It is easy to administer and has been validated in numerous studies. Studies have found the SDS to be reliable and valid for diagnosing depression in both adults and adolescents. Additionally, the SDS is often used to monitor the progress of depression over time.
Despite its popularity, the SDS has some limitations. For example, it is a subjective measure and the responses may be affected by the individual’s mood or state of mind at the time of completion. Additionally, it does not assess the causes of depression or provide information about other associated symptoms such as anxiety or substance abuse.
In conclusion, the SDS is a widely used and reliable tool for diagnosing and monitoring depression. Although it has some limitations, it is easy to administer and can provide valuable information about an individual’s depression symptoms.
References
Cai, X., Zhang, Y., & Wang, Y. (2015). The reliability and validity of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale in Chinese adolescents. PLoS ONE, 10(6), e0128685. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0128685
Köse, S., & Ak, N. (2013). Psychometric properties of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale in a Turkish sample. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 54(5), 534–539. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.12.002
Zung, W. W. (1965). A self-rating depression scale. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12(1), 63-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1965.01720240059008