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 ) .
Diagnostic conversion to bipolar disorder in unipolar depressed patients participating in trials on antidepressants.
OBJECTIVE In unipolar depressed patients participating in trials on antidepressants , we investigated if illness characteristics at baseline could predict conversion to bipolar disorder . METHOD A long-term register-based follow-up study of 290 unipolar depressed patients with a mean age of 50.8 years ( SD=11.9 ) participating in three r and omized trials on antidepressants conducted in the period 1985 - 1994 . The independent effects of explanatory variables were examined by applying Cox regression analyses . RESULTS The overall risk of conversion was 20.7 % , with a mean follow-up time of 15.2 years per patient . The risk of conversion was associated with an increasing number of previous depressive episodes at baseline , [ HR 1.18 , 95 % CI ( 1.10 - 1.26 ) ] . No association with gender , age , age at first depressive episode , duration of baseline episode , subtype of depression or any of the investigated HAM-D subscales included was found . LIMITATIONS The patients were followed-up through the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register , which result ed in inherent limitations such as possible misclassification of outcome . CONCLUSION In a sample of middle-aged hospitalized unipolar depressed patients participating in trials on antidepressants , the risk of conversion was associated with the number of previous depressive episodes . Therefore , this study emphasizes that unipolar depressed patients experiencing a relatively high number of recurrences should be followed more closely , or at least be informed about the possible increased risk of conversion
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 ) .