Symptom scales estimate depression likelihood rather than diagnosing it.

Evidence

The scale does not provide a formal diagnosis of depression, but based on a participant’s score assesses their likelihood of experiencing a major depressive episode. The scale asks about depressive symptoms related to sadness, loss of interest, appetite, sleep, thinking/concentration, worthlessness, fatigue, agitation, and suicidal ideation. — Naheed Ahmed, Measurement of Perceived Interpersonal…, 40

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies the crucial interpretive limit of the CESD-R: it screens for likelihood of major depressive episode, not clinical diagnosis.