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 ) .
The Montgomery Äsberg and the Hamilton ratings of depression: A comparison of measures
The 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression  ( HRSD(17 ) ) and the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale ( MADRS ) are two widely used clinician-rated symptom scales . A 6-item version of the HRSD ( HRSD(6 ) ) was created by Bech to address the psychometric limitations of the HRSD(17 ) . The psychometric properties of these measures were compared using classical test theory ( CTT ) and item response theory ( IRT ) methods . IRT methods were used to equate total scores on any two scales . Data from two distinctly different outpatient studies of nonpsychotic major depression : a 12-month study of highly treatment-resistant patients ( n=233 ) and an 8-week acute phase drug treatment trial ( n=985 ) were used for robustness of results . MADRS and HRSD(6 ) items generally contributed more to the measurement of depression than HRSD(17 ) items as shown by higher item-total correlations and higher IRT slope parameters . The MADRS and HRSD(6 ) were unifactorial while the HRSD(17 ) contained 2 factors . The MADRS showed about twice the precision in estimating depression as either the HRSD(17 ) or HRSD(6 ) for average severity of depression . An HRSD(17 ) of 7 corresponded to an 8 or 9 on the MADRS and 4 on the HRSD(6 ) . The MADRS would be superior to the HRSD(17 ) in the conduct of clinical trials
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 ) .