Introduction
The Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology – Self-Report (QIDS-SR16) is a brief 16-item self-report measure of depressive symptom severity and symptomatic change. A. John Rush and 12 colleagues published it in 2003. It covers the core DSM-IV symptom criteria for major depressive disorder, and the original article has received more than 4,700 citations.
The development study appeared in Biological Psychiatry and evaluated the scale in adults with chronic, nonpsychotic major depressive disorder. This guide explains how the QIDS-SR16 is structured and scored, how its cut-off works, and where it has been translated.
Key Features of the QIDS-SR16
Purpose and Use
The QIDS-SR16 assesses depressive symptom severity and symptomatic change, including the core DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder. Its development study examined its psychometric properties and its usefulness in clinical care and research.
Target Population
The QIDS-SR16 targets adults aged 18 and older with depression.
Structure
The QIDS-SR16 contains 16 items about depressive symptoms during the preceding 7 days. Together, they cover mood, cognitive symptoms, suicidal ideation, interest, energy, sleep, appetite and weight, and psychomotor symptoms.
Scoring Method
Respondents rate each of the 16 items on a 4-point scale from 0 to 3. Several items are then combined:
The four sleep items count as the highest of the four scores.The four appetite/weight items count as the highest of the four scores.The two psychomotor items count as the higher of the two scores.The resulting total ranges from 0 to 27, and higher scores reflect greater depressive symptom severity.
Cut-off score: the developers selected a QIDS-SR16 score of 6, which corresponds to an IDS-SR30 score of 14 and a HAM-D17 remission threshold of 7. In the development study, this cut-off produced:
80% correct classification79% sensitivity and 81% specificity74% positive predictive value and 85% negative predictive valueAdministration Format
The QIDS-SR16 is a self-report questionnaire, so respondents complete it themselves using the 0–3 response options for each item.
Applications of the QIDS-SR16
The QIDS-SR16 supports several uses:
Severity assessment: rating current depressive symptom severity.Monitoring: tracking symptomatic change during treatment.Remission: using the cut-off of 6, which corresponds to the HAM-D17 remission threshold.Clinical research: providing a brief self-report outcome in depression studies.Languages and availability
Researchers have studied the QIDS-SR16 in many languages:
Chinese (Chinese Americans): psychometric assessmentSpanish: psychometric analysis in a clinical sampleGerman: evaluation in outpatients with depressionJapanese: psychometric properties in the Japanese populationBrazilian Portuguese: validation for the Brazilian populationMalay: validation in a Malaysian sampleVietnamese: psychometric properties of the Vietnamese versionsThe QIDS is copyrighted (© 1986, 2000 UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas).
Reliability and Validity
In the original study of outpatients with chronic, nonpsychotic major depressive disorder, the QIDS-SR16 demonstrated high internal consistency and strong concurrent validity. Since then, researchers have evaluated it in public sector patients with mood disorders and in many translated versions.
Validation studies:
The 16-Item QIDS, clinician rating (QIDS-C) and self-report (QIDS-SR): a psychometric evaluation in patients with chronic major depression (2003): study linkThe IDS-C, IDS-SR, QIDS-C and QIDS-SR in public sector patients with mood disorders (2004): study linkLimitations and Considerations
Users should consider the following points:
Development sample: generalizability was limited by the predominantly outpatient sample with chronic major depressive disorder.Further research: the authors noted that further studies were needed in other populations and settings.Self-report: scores reflect how respondents describe their own symptoms.Other Versions And Related Questionnaires
The QIDS-SR16 belongs to a family of four related measures:
QIDS-C16: a 16-item clinician-rated version covering the same nine core domains.IDS-SR30: a 30-item self-report version for a comprehensive assessment (see the ResRef guide to the original IDS-SR).IDS-C30: a 30-item clinician-rated version for a comprehensive assessment (see the ResRef guide to the original IDS-C).Related measures also include the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D17, HAM-D21 and HAM-D24; see the ResRef HAM-D guide) and the Patient Global Impression–Improvement Scale (PGI-I).
Additional Resources
The original development study: linkYou can access the QIDS-SR16 as a PDF through this linkFor inquiries, contact Augustus John Rush, M.D., at curbstoneconsultant@gmail.com.Browse more depression questionnaires in the ResRef database.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does the QIDS-SR16 measure?The QIDS-SR16 measures the severity of depressive symptoms over the past 7 days, covering mood, cognition, suicidal ideation, interest, energy, sleep, appetite and weight, and psychomotor symptoms.
How do you score the QIDS-SR16?Items score 0 to 3. Take the highest of the four sleep items, the highest of the four appetite/weight items and the higher psychomotor item, then add the domains for a 0–27 total.
What is the QIDS-SR16 cut-off score?The developers selected a cut-off of 6, matching a HAM-D17 remission threshold of 7. In the development study, it classified 80% of patients correctly, with 79% sensitivity and 81% specificity.
Which languages is the QIDS-SR16 available in?Besides the original, studies cover Chinese, Spanish, German, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Malay and Vietnamese versions, each linked in the languages section of this guide.
A Word from ResRef About the QIDS-SR16
The QIDS-SR16 is a brief self-report tool for assessing depressive symptom severity and symptomatic change in adults with major depressive disorder. It demonstrated high internal consistency and strong concurrent validity in the original study of outpatients with chronic, nonpsychotic MDD. Generalizability was limited by the predominantly outpatient, chronic MDD sample, and the authors noted that further studies were needed in other populations and settings.
References
Rush, A. J., Trivedi, M. H., Ibrahim, H. M., Carmody, T. J., Arnow, B., Klein, D. N., Markowitz, J. C., Ninan, P. T., Kornstein, S., Manber, R., Thase, M. E., Kocsis, J. H., & Keller, M. B. (2003). The 16-Item quick inventory of depressive symptomatology (QIDS), clinician rating (QIDS-C), and self-report (QIDS-SR): a psychometric evaluation in patients with chronic major depression. Biological Psychiatry, 54(5), 573–583. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0006-3223(02)01866-8Yeung, A., Feldman, G., Pedrelli, P., Hails, K., Fava, M., Reyes, T., & Mundt, J. C. (2012). The Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Clinician Rated and Self-report. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 200(8), 712–715. https://doi.org/10.1097/nmd.0b013e318261413dTrujols, J., de Diego-Adeliño, J., Feliu-Soler, A., Iraurgi, I., Puigdemont, D., Álvarez, E., Pérez, V., & Portella, M. J. (2014). The Spanish version of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report (QIDS-SR16): A psychometric analysis in a clinical sample. Journal of Affective Disorders, 169, 189–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2014.08.011Roniger, A., Späth, C., Schweiger, U., & Klein, J. (2015). A Psychometric Evaluation of the German Version of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR16) in Outpatients with Depression. Fortschritte der Neurologie · Psychiatrie, 83(12), e17–e22. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0041-110203Kashimura, M., So, M., & Sekizawa, Y. (2026). Assessing depression among the Japanese population: psychometric properties of the Japanese version of Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-self-reported version. BMC Psychology, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-04974-9Bandinelli, L., Schäfer, J. L., Kluwe-Schiavon, B., & Grassi-Oliveira, R. (2023). Validation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology and Self-Report (QIDS-SR16) for the Brazilian population. Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. https://doi.org/10.47626/2237-6089-2020-0378Chan, L. F., Eu, C. L., Tong, S. F., Chin, S. J., Sharip, S., Chai, Y. C., Loo, J. L., Mohamad Kamal, N. A., Goon, J. A., Mahadevan, R., Liu, C. Y., Yeoh, C. N., & Mohd Daud, T. I. (2022). Validation of the Malay Self-Report Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology in a Malaysian Sample. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(5), 2801. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052801Phi, H. N. Y., Manh, B. X., Ngoc, T. A., Chau, P. T. M., Tho, T. Q., Nghia, N. T., Nghia, T. T., Quynh, H. H. N., Huy, N. T., Linh, N. T., & An, P. L. (2023). Psychometric Properties of Vietnamese Versions of the Clinician-Rated and Self-Reported Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology and the Patient Health Questionnaire. East Asian Archives of Psychiatry, 33(2), 65–70. https://doi.org/10.12809/eaap2258Trivedi, M. H., Rush, A. J., Ibrahim, H. M., Carmody, T. J., Biggs, M. M., Suppes, T., Crismon, M. L., Shores-Wilson, K., Toprac, M. G., Dennehy, E. B., Witte, B., & Kashner, T. M. (2004). The Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Clinician Rating (IDS-C) and Self-Report (IDS-SR), and the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Clinician Rating (QIDS-C) and Self-Report (QIDS-SR) in public sector patients with mood disorders: a psychometric evaluation. Psychological Medicine, 34(1), 73–82. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291703001107