Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression

"HDRS" redirects here. For the singular of HDRs, see HDR (disambiguation).
Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression
Purposemeasures severity of depressive symptoms

The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD),[1] also called the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), sometimes also abbreviated as HAM-D, is a multiple-item questionnaire used to provide an indication of depression, and as a guide to evaluate recovery.[2] Max Hamilton originally published the scale in 1960[3] and revised it in 1966,[4] 1967,[5] 1969,[6] and 1980.[7] The questionnaire is designed for adults and is used to rate the severity of their depression by probing mood, feelings of guilt, suicide ideation, insomnia, agitation or retardation, anxiety, weight loss, and somatic symptoms.

The HRSD has been criticized for use in clinical practice as it places more emphasis on insomnia than on feelings of hopelessness, self-destructive thoughts, suicidal cognitions and actions.[8] An antidepressant may show statistical efficacy even when thoughts of suicide increase but sleep is improved, or for that matter, an antidepressant that as a side effect increase sexual and gastrointestinal symptom ratings may register as being less effective in treating the depression itself than it actually is.[9] Hamilton maintained that his scale should not be used as a diagnostic instrument.[10]

The original 1960 version contained 17 items (HDRS-17), but four other questions not added to the total score were used to provide additional clinical information. Each item on the questionnaire is scored on a 3 or 5 point scale, depending on the item, and the total score is compared to the corresponding descriptor. Assessment time is about 20 minutes.

  1. ^ "the ham-d scale" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  2. ^ Hedlund JL, Viewig BW (1979). "The Hamilton rating scale for depression: a comprehensive review". Journal of Operational Psychiatry. 10: 149–165.
  3. ^ Hamilton M (1960). "A rating scale for depression". Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. 23 (1): 56–62. doi:10.1136/jnnp.23.1.56. PMC 495331. PMID 14399272.
  4. ^ Hamilton M (1966). "Assessment of change in psychiatric state by means of rating scales". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine. 59 (Suppl 1): 10–13. PMC 1900655. PMID 5922401.
  5. ^ Hamilton M (1967). "Development of a rating scale for primary depressive illness". British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 6 (4): 278–96. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8260.1967.tb00530.x. PMID 6080235.
  6. ^ Hamilton M (1969). "Standardised assessment and recording of depressive symptoms". Psychiatria, Neurologia, Neurochirurgia. 72 (2): 201–5. PMID 5792061.
  7. ^ Hamilton, M (1980). "Rating depressive patients". Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 41 (12 Pt 2): 21–24. PMID 7440521.
  8. ^ Firestone, R.W., & Firestone, L.A. (1996). Firestone Assessment of Self-Destructive Thoughts Manual. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
  9. ^ Bagby RM, Ryder AG, Schuller DR, Marshall MB (2004). "The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale: has the gold standard become a lead weight?". American Journal of Psychiatry. 161 (12): 2163–77. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.161.12.2163. PMID 15569884.
  10. ^ Berrios, G.E., & Bulbena, A. (1990). The Hamilton Depression Scale and the Numerical Description of the Symptoms of Depression. In Bech, P., & Coppen, A. (Eds.), The Hamilton Scales, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 80–92