Bagby, R. M., Ryder, A. G., Schuller, D. R., &amp; Marshall, M. B. (2004). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale: Has the gold standard become a lead weight? American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(12), 2163-2177. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.161.12.2163

The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale: Has the gold standard become a lead weight?

-HDRS can not be used for accessing atypical symptoms of depression (e.g., hypersomnia, hyperphagia).

-Studies show that many scale items in HDRS contribute poorly to the measurement of depression severity.


Macalester College

The HDRS is one of the most commonly used clinician-administered depression assessment measures with an emphasis on the physical and melancholy signs of depression.

The original version of the survey (HDRS17) has 17 items that address recent depressive symptoms. Another 4 items were included in a subsequent 21-item version (HDRS21) that was designed to categorize depression. 

Each version has a different system for scoring. A score of 0–7 on the HDRS17 is typically considered to be within the normal range (or in clinical remission), whereas a score of 20 or more denotes at least moderate significant severity.

Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS)

Hamilton depression rating scale (hdrs) - university of Florida. (n.d.). Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://dcf.psychiatry.ufl.edu/files/2011/05/HAMILTON-DEPRESSION.pdf

Hamilton depression rating scale

Major Limitations

- It is proven by multiple studies on general population that HDRS have great reliability and concurrent validity with depression diagnosis.
- It is a trustworthy tool for evaluating depression in patients who diagnosed terminal cancer and has a high level of concurrent validity.

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