title: Sensitivity of the six-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.
abstract: We studied the sensitivity in detecting changes of the 6-item version of the original 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and compared it with the more widely used versions among 164 depressed outpatients with and without atypical features before and after treatment with fluoxetine. The 6-item HAM-D was shown to be as sensitive as the 17-, 21- and 24-item versions of this scale. In addition, the different versions of the HAM-D were strongly correlated with each other at baseline and at the endpoint. It appears that the 6-item version of the HAM-D allows the assessment of severity of depression with comparable sensitivity to the standard and more elaborate versions of the same scale.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Neurosciences Program, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders Clinic, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fava
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Agustin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baer
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003863:Depression / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000592:standards; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D005473:Fluoxetine