Saundra's Corner
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)
09/29/2016
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How to UseThe Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) has proven useful for many years as a way of determining a patient’s level of depression before, during, and after treatment. It should be administered by a clinician experienced in working with psychiatric patients.
How to ScoreAlthough the HAM-D form lists 21 items, the scoring is based on the first 17. It generally takes 15-20 minutes to complete the interview and score the results. Eight items are scored on a 5-point scale, ranging from 0 = not present to 4 = severe. Nine are scored from 0-2.
Sensitivity: 86.4%
Specificity: 92.2% Strik J, et al. Psychosomatics. 2001; 42:423–428 |
Since its development in 1960 by Dr. Max Hamilton of the University of Leeds, England, the scale has been widely used in clinical practice and become a standard in pharmaceutical trials.
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