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The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale has proven useful for determining the level of depression before, during, and after treatment. It is based on the clinician's interview with the patient and probes symptoms such as depressed mood, guilty feelings, suicide, sleep disturbances, anxiety levels and weight loss. The interview and scoring takes about 15 minutes. The rater enters a number for each symptom construct that ranges from 0 (not present) to 4 (extreme symptoms).
• Download HAM-D Instructions (PDF)
Supporting Article A Rating Scale for Depression
More About Depression and the HAM-D
March 3, 2010 A newly published meta-analysis has reignited debate about the effectiveness of antidepressants for mild to moderate depression. More » February 2, 2010 In 2 previous editorials—“The ‘McDonaldization’ of Psychiatry” and “Doctor, Are You ‘Drugging’ or Medicating Your Patients?”—I focused on some serious problems in current psychiatric practice and on various shortcomings in our treatments. In the... More » December 14, 2009 Results of a large study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health showed that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) might be equally effective in both patients with unipolar depression and those with bipolar depression. The study, led by Samuel H.... More » November 4, 2009 Major depressive disorder (MDD) is common during childbearing. Depression that interferes with function develops in an estimated 14.5% of pregnant women.1 In a recent population-based study, Munk-Olsen and colleagues2 determined the prevalence of... More » November 4, 2009 Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may be an effective therapy for treatment-resistant bipolar depression, according to the results of a recent pilot study led by Guohua Xia, MD, PhD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the... More »
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 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. This Web-based service offers copies of some of the most popular and useful instruments. The hope is that healthcare professionals—whether in specialty practices, primary-care settings, or emergency services—will find this format convenient and useful, allowing them to find the right instrument quickly, print it out for immediate use with patients, and add the findings to their records. 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 forms themselves, you will find instructions on how to administer and score the scales as well as related articles and links to other useful guidance. When appropriate, we will supply video resources for additional insights. 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. |
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