Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

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Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was originally developed by Zigmond and Snaith (1983)^[1] and is commonly used by doctors to determine the levels of anxiety and depression that a person is experiencing. The HADS is a 14-item scale, with seven items relating to anxiety and seven relating to depression.^[2] Zigmond and Snaith created this outcome measure specifically to avoid reliance on aspects of these conditions that are also common somatic symptoms of illness, for example fatigue and insomnia or hypersomnia. This, it was hoped, would create a tool for the detection of anxiety and depression in people with physical health problems.