Dementia and Depression:
The Cornell Scale
Carers should rate their loved one on symptoms that have occurred during the previous week, ignoring those symptoms that are the result of a physical illness or disability.
Not Absent Mild Severe
able to rate
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mood
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Behavioural Disturbance
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Physical Signs
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Change in Mood and Behaviour
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ideational Disturbance
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Add together all the scores, a score of 8 or more on the Cornell Scale suggests depression.
Alexopoulos G, et al. (1988), Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. Biological Psychiatry 21(3), 271-284. With thanks.
The Cornell Scale
Carers should rate their loved one on symptoms that have occurred during the previous week, ignoring those symptoms that are the result of a physical illness or disability.
Not Absent Mild Severe
able to rate
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mood
- Anxiety A 0 1 2
- Sadness A 0 1 2
- Lack of reactivity to pleasant events A 0 1 2
- Irritability A 0 1 2
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Behavioural Disturbance
- Agitation A 0 1 2
- Slowness A 0 1 2
- Multiple physical complaints A 0 1 2
- Loss of interest A 0 1 2
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Physical Signs
- Appetite loss A 0 1 2
- Weight loss A 0 1 2
- Lack of energy A 0 1 2
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Change in Mood and Behaviour
- Changes of mood A 0 1 2
- Difficulty falling asleep A 0 1 2
- Multiple awakenings during sleep A 0 1 2
- Early morning awakening A 0 1 2
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ideational Disturbance
- Suicidal ideas or attempts A
- Poor self esteem A
- Pessimism A
- Depressing delusions A
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Add together all the scores, a score of 8 or more on the Cornell Scale suggests depression.
Alexopoulos G, et al. (1988), Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. Biological Psychiatry 21(3), 271-284. With thanks.