Low mood experiences (CES-D)
Mood and daily changes over the past week. Answer the app’s questionnaire and see your result right away.
Source · Radloff LS. The CES-D Scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Appl Psychol Meas. 1977;1(3):385–401.
CES-D: looking back at the past week day by day
The CES-D is a self-report depression scale developed by Radloff in 1977 for research in the general population. Its 20 statements cover low mood, feeling that everything is an effort, restless sleep, loneliness, feeling disliked, and hope and enjoyment. For each, you indicate how often you felt that way during the past week, from less than one day to most or all of the days.
Reading your results
Each statement scores 0–3 for a total of 0–60. A few statements about hope and enjoyment are reverse-scored, so fewer such days raise the score. The result screen shows 0–15 as below the screening threshold, 16–20 as mild, 21–24 as moderate and 25–60 as higher symptom burden. A diagnosis is made in a clinical conversation. If you stay at 16 or above, or keep putting off things that matter because of your mood, consider talking with a professional.
A question to reflect on
Go through the last seven days and pick the heaviest day and one slightly better day. Note what differed, such as sleep, who you saw or what you did. The difference often points to what moves your mood.
Frequently asked questions
- How many questions are in Low mood experiences (CES-D), and how long does it take?
- There are 20 questions, and it usually takes about 4 minutes. For each question you choose one of 4 answers, from “Rarely or none of the time (less than 1 day)” to “Most or all of the time (5–7 days)”. There are no right or wrong answers.
- How is the CES-D different from the PHQ-9?
- The PHQ-9 asks about nine diagnostic symptoms over two weeks, while the CES-D has 20 statements written for general population research and counts days in the past week. Because the period and content differ, the two scores are not on the same scale.
- How are statements like 'I enjoyed life' scored?
- They are reverse-scored: more such days lower your score and fewer days raise it. The page does the math, so just answer as it really was.
- My score changes every week. Is that normal?
- Yes. It asks about the past week, so events of that week shape it. Several weeks side by side show more than any single score.
- Do I need to sign in? Are my answers saved?
- You can see your results right away without signing in. Your answers are used only for scoring and are not stored on our servers.
- Can I bring these results into a counseling session?
- Use the analysis button at the bottom of the result screen to have a short conversation with Maeumi without signing in. After the conversation, you can continue in the app. The web conversation does not transfer automatically to the app.
- Can I share my results with a friend?
- Yes. Use Share at the top right of the result screen to send a friend the check itself, or share your result as a link or story image. A result link carries your scores inside the address only; it does not include your name or account, and nothing is saved on our side.