Assessing dimensional and categorical aspects of depression: validation of the AMDP Depression Scale.
BACKGROUND
A new observer depression scale which is based on the descriptive operationalized classification principles of ICD-10 is introduced. The AMDP Depression Scale (AMDP-DS), a 22-item clinician-rated inventory, provides the opportunity of dimensional as well as categorical depression severity assessment.


METHODS
A sample of 50 patients with depressive symptoms were assessed with the AMDP-DS by two raters in a joint rater session. A number of widely used depression scales were applied separately by an independent rater. The ICD-10 symptom checklist was used for categorical assessment of depressive disorders.


RESULTS
The inter-rater reliability for the total score of the AMDP-DS was excellent (Intraclass coefficient: 0.97). There were high correlations with the sum scores of the other scales under study. The correlations between the ICD-10 symptom-checklist and the AMDP-DS ranged from 0.75 to 0.89 for the total sample and 0.44 to 0.51 for patients with acute depressive episode.


CONCLUSIONS
The results are limited by the method of a joint rater setting and the relatively small subsample of patients with depressive episode.


CONCLUSIONS
The AMDP-DS satisfies the requirements of psychometric criteria with a sufficient degree. A new depression scale designed to cover dimensional as well as categorical aspects has successfully been developed.
Lauterbach
E
E
Departtment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany. lauterbach@psychiatry.uni-luebeck.de
Rumpf
H-J
HJ
Ahrens
B
B
Haug
H-J
HJ
Schaub
R
R
Schönell
H
H
Stieglitz
R-D
RD
Hohagen
F
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric