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 ) .
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of desvenlafaxine succinate in adult outpatients with major depressive disorder.
OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of desvenlafaxine succinate ( desvenlafaxine ) in the treatment of major depressive disorder ( MDD ) . METHOD In this 8-week , multicenter , r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial , adult out patients ( aged 18 - 75 years ) with a primary diagnosis of MDD ( DSM-IV criteria ) were r and omly assigned to treatment with desvenlafaxine ( 100 - 200 mg/day ) or placebo . The primary outcome measure was the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression ( HAM-D(17 ) ) score at final on-therapy evaluation . The Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale ( CGI-I ) was the key secondary measure . Other secondary measures included the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale ( MADRS ) , Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness scale , Visual Analog Scale-Pain Intensity ( VAS-PI ) overall and subcomponent scores , and HAM-D(17 ) response and remission rates . The study was conducted from June 2003 to May 2004 . RESULTS Of the 247 patients r and omly assigned to treatment , 234 comprised the intent-to-treat population . Following titration , mean daily desvenlafaxine doses ranged from 179 to 195 mg/day . At endpoint , there were no significant differences in scores between the desvenlafaxine ( N = 120 ) and placebo ( N = 114 ) groups on the HAM-D(17 ) or CGI-I. However , the desvenlafaxine group had significantly greater improvement in MADRS scores ( p = .047 ) and in VAS-PI overall pain ( p = .008 ) , back pain ( p = .006 ) , and arm , leg , or joint pain ( p < .001 ) scores than the placebo group . The most common treatment-emergent adverse events ( at least 10 % and twice the rate of placebo ) were nausea , dry mouth , constipation , anorexia , somnolence , and nervousness . CONCLUSION Desvenlafaxine was generally safe and well tolerated . In this study , it did not show significantly greater efficacy than placebo on the primary or key secondary efficacy endpoints , but it did demonstrate efficacy on an alternate depression scale and pain measure associated with MDD . CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION Clinical Trials.gov identifier NCT00063206
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 ) .