Depression Screening Score
Screen for potential depression symptoms by rating mood, energy, sleep quality and interest on a 1–10 scale. Useful for self-monitoring or preparing for a healthcare conversation — not a clinical diagnosis.
Last updated: May 2026
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About this calculator
This calculator screens for depressive symptom burden by inverting four self-reported wellness ratings so that higher scores reflect greater symptom severity. The formula is Score = ((10 − mood) + (10 − energy) + (10 − sleep) + (10 − interest)) / 4. Each input is rated 1–10 where higher is better, so a low rating (e.g. mood = 2) contributes a high depression indicator (8), and a high rating contributes a low indicator. Dividing by 4 yields a final score from approximately 0 to 9. The four dimensions correspond to core diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder in DSM-5 and ICD-11: persistent low mood, fatigue/low energy, sleep disturbance and loss of interest or pleasure (anhedonia). Scores near 0 indicate minimal depressive indicators, 3–5 suggest mild symptoms, and above 6 suggest several core symptoms are present at a level that warrants professional attention. Edge cases: this is a four-item screen, not the full PHQ-9 or HAM-D — it omits appetite changes, concentration difficulties, feelings of worthlessness and suicidal ideation, the last of which is critical and must be assessed separately. The score does not account for symptom duration, while DSM-5 requires symptoms for ≥ 2 weeks. Treat it as a conversation starter, not a clinical diagnosis.
How to use
Example 1 — moderate depressive symptoms. You rate mood 4, energy 3, sleep quality 5 and interest in activities 2. Step 1: invert each: (10−4) + (10−3) + (10−5) + (10−2) = 6 + 7 + 5 + 8 = 26. Step 2: divide by 4: 26 / 4 = 6.5. Verify: 6.5 lands above the 6.0 threshold, indicating several depressive symptoms — particularly anhedonia (interest = 2) and low energy — are present at a moderate-to-high level. A meaningful next step is to complete a PHQ-9 with your GP or therapist. ✓ Example 2 — minimal symptoms. You rate mood 8, energy 7, sleep quality 8 and interest in activities 7. Step 1: invert each: (10−8) + (10−7) + (10−8) + (10−7) = 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 = 10. Step 2: divide by 4: 10 / 4 = 2.5. Verify: a score of 2.5 is well below the 3.0 mild-symptom threshold; this suggests minimal depressive symptom burden, consistent with the high wellness ratings. As with all self-rating tools, re-rating weekly is more informative than any single reading — if the score begins to climb consistently, that trend is the signal to act on. ✓
Frequently asked questions
How does the depression screening score formula work with inverted ratings?
Each input is rated 1–10 where higher means better wellness (10 = excellent mood, energy, sleep or interest), and the formula computes 10 minus each value to convert a wellness rating into a symptom indicator. A mood rating of 9 becomes a symptom score of 1 (minimal concern); a mood rating of 2 becomes 8 (high concern). Averaging the four inverted scores gives a single number on a 0–9 scale representing overall depressive symptom burden. This inversion keeps the user experience intuitive (you naturally rate yourself on positive scales) while making the maths produce a score that rises with severity. Because all four dimensions are weighted equally, a very low rating in one area can be masked by reasonable scores in the others; if any single inverted value is 8 or 9, treat that domain as worth attention regardless of the average.
What depression symptoms does this calculator measure and why were they chosen?
The four dimensions — mood, energy, sleep quality and interest in activities — correspond directly to core diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder as outlined in DSM-5 and ICD-11. Persistent low mood and loss of interest or pleasure (anhedonia) are the two cardinal criteria, and at least one must be present for ≥ 2 weeks for a diagnosis to be considered; fatigue and sleep disturbances are among the most common accompanying symptoms. By covering these four areas the calculator captures a meaningful cross-section of depressive experience using only four inputs. However, it deliberately omits appetite changes, concentration difficulties, psychomotor agitation or retardation, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt, and thoughts of death or suicide — the last of which is the single most important symptom to assess clinically. Treat the score as a partial screen and a starting point for a fuller assessment with a clinician or with the validated 9-item PHQ-9.
When should I be concerned about my depression screening score and seek professional help?
As a general guideline, scores above 6 suggest core depressive symptoms are significantly affecting daily functioning. Even scores in the 4–6 range deserve attention if they persist for two weeks or more, as duration is a key clinical criterion: DSM-5 requires symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for ≥ 2 weeks. Seek professional help promptly — within days, not weeks — if you experience any thoughts of self-harm or suicide, regardless of your score; in that case contact a crisis line (988 in the US, 116 123 Samaritans in the UK), your GP or an emergency department. A clinician can administer the validated PHQ-9, take a fuller history, screen for bipolar features and physical causes (thyroid disease, anaemia, vitamin D and B12 deficiency), and recommend treatment such as CBT, behavioural activation, SSRIs or combined approaches. Mild-to-moderate depression often responds to talking therapy alone; moderate-to-severe depression usually benefits from combined therapy and medication.
What are the common mistakes when using depression self-screens?
Rating yourself only on a bad day inflates the score and reinforces a low mood spiral — pick a fixed weekly time and rate the past 7 days as a whole. Treating a single screen as diagnostic is the second pitfall: this is a four-item screen with no duration check, while a real diagnosis requires symptoms most of the day for ≥ 2 weeks plus the impact on functioning and the exclusion of other causes. People also conflate sadness with depression — sadness in response to an obvious loss or stressor is normal grief, while depression is pervasive low mood and anhedonia that persists beyond the triggering context. Another mistake is using the score in isolation without screening for suicidal ideation, which is the most important question a clinician will ask. Finally, do not stop or start antidepressant medication based on changes in this screen alone — discontinuation needs to be supervised because of withdrawal/discontinuation symptoms, and titration up needs clinical follow-up for side effects.
When should I not use this calculator?
Do not use this calculator if you have any active thoughts of self-harm or suicide — contact a crisis line (988 in the US, 116 123 in the UK), your GP, or an emergency department immediately rather than completing a screening tool. It is not a diagnostic instrument and cannot diagnose major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, persistent depressive disorder, postpartum depression or seasonal affective disorder; only a clinician using validated tools, history and physical examination can do so. It is not validated for children or adolescents — those populations need age-specific instruments such as PHQ-A. It is not appropriate during pregnancy or the postpartum period without integrating perinatal-specific screening (EPDS) and clinical context. Do not use changes in this score to start, stop or change antidepressant medication; those are decisions for a prescribing clinician. Finally, recognise that low scores do not rule out depression in people who minimise symptoms or who present with primarily somatic complaints — clinical concern always trumps a 'reassuring' screen.