Children’s Depression Rating Scale – Revised (CDRS-R)

Purpose: Diagnose childhood depression and monitor treatment response

Age: 6-12 years

Time: 15 - 20 minutes

The Children’s Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) is a brief rating scale based on a semi-structured interview with the child. Designed for 6- to 12-year-olds (and successfully used with adolescents), it can be administered in just 15 to 20 minutes and easily scored in a few minutes.

The interviewer rates 17 symptom areas (including those that serve as DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of depression):

• Impaired Schoolwork
• Difficulty Having Fun
• Social Withdrawal
• Appetite Disturbance
• Sleep Disturbance
• Excessive Fatigue
• Physical Complaints
• Irritability
• Excessive Guilt
• Low Self-Esteem
• Depressed Feelings
• Morbid Ideation
• Suicidal Ideation
• Excessive Weeping
• Depressed Facial Affect
• Listless Speech
• Hyperactivity

Most of these symptom areas are rated on a 7-point scale, so the CDRS-R can capture slight but notable changes in a child’s symptoms. This makes the scale ideal for monitoring symptoms during illness or remission.

The CDRS-R gives you a single Summary Score (a T-score), with an interpretation of, and recommendations for, six different score ranges. If applicable, it also compares ratings based on different sources (e.g., parent and child interviews) for each of the 17 symptom areas—and notes clinically significant results.