Introduction: The best approach to improve under-recognition of depression is routine screening, idealy using an instrument that is highly effective and easy to administer. Objective: To test the effectiveness of the 5-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (5-GDS) for depression screening in a community-dwelling Chilean elderly population. Participants and Methods: 110 subjects were evaluated at the geriatric outpatient clinic of a university teaching hospital. Patients answered a questionnaire that included the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and demographic information. Using the 15-item GDS score as reference standard to classify subjects as depressed, test characteristics of the 5-GDS were evaluated. Results: Subjects had a mean 15-item GDS score of 5.4; 47% classified as depressed. Depressed and not depressed subjects were similar with regard to demographics, educational level and comorbid conditions. The mean score was 1.9 for the 5-item GDS. Pearson correlation for 15-item and 5-item GDS scores was 0.92, p<0.001. Using 15-item GDS score as reference standard, the 5-item GDS had a sensitivity of 0.88, specificity 0.90, positive predictive value 0.88 and negative predictive value 0.90. Conclusions: The 5-item GDS seems to be a promising screening tool for depression. If revalidated against clinical evaluation, it might be the preferred screening tool for depression in the Chilean community-dwelling elderly. (Rev Méd Chile 2000; 128: 1199-1204)