Depression (in Adolescents)

Scoring Key
If your results are 0-5, then you are probably not depressed. But if you do have concerns, you should definitely still go speak with your doctor or health professional. If your results are 6 and above, then it is possible you may have depression. Feel free to print out these results, and talk with your doctor or health professional about how you've been feeling. You don't have to feel this way. Whether through support from family and friends, talk therapy or other means, there are many things that can be helpful.

For more information about this tool:

  • LeBlanc JC, Almudevar A, Brooks SJ, Kutcher S: Screening for Adolescent Depression: Comparison of the Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale with the Beck Depression Inventory, Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 2002 Summer; 12(2):113-26. "Further ROC curve analyses established that the overall diagnostic ability of a six-item subscale of the KADS was at least as good as that of the BDI and was better than that of the full-length KADS. Used with a cutoff score of 6, the six-item KADS achieved sensitivity and specificity rates of 92% and 71%, respectively—a combination not achieved by other self-report instruments. The six-item KADS may prove to be an efficient and effective means of ruling out MDE in adolescents."