PsychiatricTimes Members: Login | Register

|     



HAM-A (Hamilton Anxiety Scale)

This widely used interview scale measures the severity of a patient's anxiety, based on 14 parameters, including anxious mood, tension, fears, insomnia, somatic complaints and behavior at the interview. Developed by M.Hamilton in 1959, the scale predates, of course, the current definition of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, it covers many of the features of GAD and can be helpful also in assessing its severity.

The major value of HAM-A is to document the results of pharmaco- or psychotherapy, rather than as a diagnostic or screening tool.

It takes 15-20 minutes to complete the interview and scoring. Each item is simply given a 5-point score - 0 (not present) to 4 (severe).

 

• Download HAM-A Form (PDF)

• Download HAM-A Instructions (PDF)
 
More About Anxiety and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale
May 18, 2013
Eco-Psychiatry: Why We Need to Keep the Environment in Mind
Eco-psychiatry? If you’re thinking, “Aren’t I already dealing with a lot in my daily practice?” you are invited to spend the next few minutes listening to what Dr Steven Moffic has to say about how the environment may be affecting your patients and... More »
May 16, 2013
Benefits of CAM Therapies for Dementia
Which of the following complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies may have beneficial effects on symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease (AD)? More »
May 15, 2013
Benzodiazepines and Pain
Quick . . . name a class of prescription medications that, by most evidence, appears to be overprescribed and abused and the use of which has resulted in an increasing number of emergency department visits. If you said "opioids," you would be right. More »
May 13, 2013
Intimate Portrait: Otto Kernberg, MD
Being a Therapist features intimate portraits of psychotherapists in their own work spaces. An excerpt of his interview with Otto Kernberg, MD, follows. More »
May 7, 2013
The Electroencephalogram in the Management of Psychiatric Conditions
The electroencephalogram (EEG) has a limited but definitive role in understanding and managing psychiatric conditions. When the presentation is unusual, a neurological workup that includes an EEG is essential. More »
Showing 1 - 5 of 1,135 results.
Page of 227
First Previous Last

A large number of psychiatric tests, scales, and forms have been created over the years to help in diagnosing mental illness and assisting in treatment and follow-up. We've put many of the clinical scales online here, hoping healthcare professionals—whether in specialty practices, primary-care settings, or emergency services—will find this format convenient. Since most of the tools are designed for repeated use over time, they will provide not only a longitudinal view but also document the medical record.

 

In addition to the psychiatric clinical scales themselves, you will find instructions on how to administer and score the scales.

 

These scales have demonstrated high levels of accuracy and validity and the results can give important clues to possible mental disorders that warrant follow up. However, please remember that they depend on the skills of the clinicians administering them and the accuracy of the information provided by the patients.

 

Jay M. Pomerantz, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School, Boston

 



 
CAREER CENTER