Scope of the Chapter
This chapter opens with reviews of five self-rating depression scales. The Beck and Zung scales were developed in the 1960s to measure severity of depression; they are among the most widely used of all health measures. They have been widely tested, and we have extensive information on their performance. Next, we review two depression screening instruments. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was designed for survey use, and the Geriatric Depression Scale was intended for elderly people. We then review Lubin’s Depression Adjective Check Lists, which focus on mood and the affective aspects of depression. This is followed by reviews of three clinical rating methods: the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Brief Assessment Scale, and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale. We also review the Carroll Rating Scale for Depression, which is a self-administered version of the Hamilton scale. The comparative strengths of these scales are summarized in Table 7.1. Note that the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), reviewed in Chapter 6, could equally well have been included in this chapter and should also be considered for studies requiring a brief depression screening instrument, and by clinicians who seek to assess depression in outpatient medical clinics.