Conclusions : According to the published literature , the clinimetric properties of HAM-D6 are superior to those of both the HAM-D17 and MADRS .
Background : In a study aim ed at identifying the items carrying information regarding the global severity of depression , the 6-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale ( HAM-D6 ) was derived from the original 17-item version of the scale ( HAM-D17 ) .
Since then , the HAM-D6 has been used in a wide range of clinical studies .
We now provide a systematic review of the clinimetric properties of HAM-D6 in comparison with those of HAM-D17 and the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale ( MADRS ) .
Paroxetine: a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor showing better tolerance, but weaker antidepressant effect than clomipramine in a controlled multicenter study. Danish University Antidepressant Group.
Antidepressant effects and unintended effects of paroxetine ( 30 mg/day ) and clomipramine ( 150 mg/day ) were compared in a double-blind , r and omized , inpatient , fixed-dose , plasma-level-controlled study . Patients with a DSM-III diagnosis of major depressive disorder participated . After 1 week of single-blind placebo treatment  120 patients fulfilled the criterion of a Hamilton ( 17-item ) score of greater than or equal to 18 and were started on active treatment for 6 weeks . Drop-outs on paroxetine ( n = 12 ) were largely due to lack of effect , and on clomipramine ( n = 19 ) due to lack of effect ( n = 7 ) , adverse reactions or severe side effects ( n = 10 ) and development of mania ( n = 2 ) . According to the protocol , non-responders ( Hamilton total greater than or equal to 16 ) after 4 weeks active treatment were terminated , and this occurred to 23 patients on paroxetine and four patients on clomipramine . Categorical response measures and group averages of rating scores showed a significantly better therapeutic effect of clomipramine from the second week of treatment on . These results are very similar to our earlier results with another selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor ( citalopram ) , but generally at variance with the literature on this class of antidepressants , which , however , mostly deals with outpatient studies
Conclusions : According to the published literature , the clinimetric properties of HAM-D6 are superior to those of both the HAM-D17 and MADRS .
Background : In a study aim ed at identifying the items carrying information regarding the global severity of depression , the 6-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale ( HAM-D6 ) was derived from the original 17-item version of the scale ( HAM-D17 ) .
Since then , the HAM-D6 has been used in a wide range of clinical studies .
We now provide a systematic review of the clinimetric properties of HAM-D6 in comparison with those of HAM-D17 and the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale ( MADRS ) .