Depression is frequent in late life, affecting many Americans aged 65 and older. Opposing accepted idea, depression is not a normal part of aging. Depression is time and again reversible with punctual and apt management. On the other hand, if left untouched, depression may result in the start of physical, cognitive and social mutilation as well as deferred recuperation from medical disease and surgical treatment, greater than before health care exploitation and suicide. The geriatric depression scale has been experienced and used comprehensively with the elder populace. The geriatric depression scale Long Form is a concise, 30-item questionnaire in which participants are asked to act in response by answering yes or no in orientation to how they felt over the previous week. A Short Form geriatric depression scale comprises of 15 questions was developed in 1986. This simple style allows the scale to be utilized among ill or slightly cognitively challenged individuals. The scale is oftenly used as a routine part of a detailed geriatric biopsychophysiological examination.

However, a diagnosis of clinical depression should not be based on GDS results alone despite the well-established reliability and validity evaluation of the geriatric depression scale against other diagnostic assessment tools, responses should be further evaluated along with findings that come  from a comprehensive diagnostic work-up. The GDS was first developed in 1982 by J.A. Yesavage and others. the scale is available in languages other than English. The elders requires special attention the same way any other age group does and more so,  the emotional state although not often physically manifested should never ever be taken for granted as this may contributed to harsher pathologic conditions other graver complications like death.