Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression

The patient is rated by a clinician on 17 to 29 items (depending on version) scored either on a 3-point or 5-point Likert-type scale. For the 17-item version, a score of 0–7 is considered to be normal while a score of 20 or higher (indicating at least moderate severity) is usually required for entry into a clinical trial. Questions 18–20 may be recorded to give further information about the depression (such as whether diurnal variation or paranoid symptoms are present), but are not part of the scale. A structured interview guide for the questionnaire is available. Although Hamilton's original scale had 17 items, other versions included up to 29 items (HRSD-29). Unstructured versions of the HDRS provide general instructions for rating items, while structured versions may provide definitions and/or specific interview questions for use. Structured versions of the HDRS show more reliability than unstructured versions with informed use. == Levels of depression ==

The UK National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence has specified the following "levels of depression" based on the 17-item HRSD. It previously used the terms in parentheses, which are those of the American Psychiatric Association. • Not depressed: 0–7 • Mild (subthreshold): 8–13 • Moderate (mild): 14–18 • Severe (moderate): 19–22 • Very severe (severe): >23 == Other scales ==

Other scales include the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, the Wechsler Depression Rating Scale, the Raskin Depression Rating Scale, the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS), the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), PHQ-9, and other questionnaires. ==See also==