This review examines the construct validity and translational relevance of behavioral tests used to assess depression and anxiety in rodents. It discusses various behavioral constructs, such as learned helplessness, behavioral despair, anhedonia, and cognitive affective bias, and the specific tests used to measure these constructs. The review highlights criticisms of traditional symptom-based interpretations and introduces novel, ethologically relevant frameworks that emphasize simple behavioral patterns. It also explores the integration of behavioral monitoring and morphological analysis methods to enhance the construct validity of behavioral tests. The article emphasizes the importance of aligning animal behaviors with clinical symptoms through frameworks like the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) to improve the translational relevance of rodent models in understanding and treating neuropsychiatric disorders.This review examines the construct validity and translational relevance of behavioral tests used to assess depression and anxiety in rodents. It discusses various behavioral constructs, such as learned helplessness, behavioral despair, anhedonia, and cognitive affective bias, and the specific tests used to measure these constructs. The review highlights criticisms of traditional symptom-based interpretations and introduces novel, ethologically relevant frameworks that emphasize simple behavioral patterns. It also explores the integration of behavioral monitoring and morphological analysis methods to enhance the construct validity of behavioral tests. The article emphasizes the importance of aligning animal behaviors with clinical symptoms through frameworks like the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) to improve the translational relevance of rodent models in understanding and treating neuropsychiatric disorders.