Ratings can be added to form an overall score (range 0 to 60); no weights are used. Snaith et al proposed the following cutting-points: scores of zero to six indicate an absence of symptoms; seven to 19 represent mild depression; 20 to 34 moderate; and 35 to 60 indicate severe depression (5). Other cut-points proposed include 12 for mild depression, 24 for moderate, and 35 for severe (6, p88).
Reliability
An alpha of 0.86 was found in a study of 151 depressed patients (7), but a much lower alpha, 0.61, has also been reported (8). The consistency of fit of the MADRS scores to a Rasch measurement model across different subgroups of patients was assessed by Maier et al. and showed clear deviations from the assumptions of the model (9, pp7–8).