RESUMO
OBJECTIVES@#The aim of this study was to validate the Tagalog Version of DMI -18 and use it as a screening tool for detecting depression among medically ill patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in Metro Manila.@*METHODOLOGY@#The original version of the DMI-10 was translated to Tagalog by 3 Filipino Language teachers. The translated test and the original English version were both administered to both healthy and medically ill subjects. A non -random sample of 82 subjects were included in the study. Fifty seven (69.51%) were healthy subjects and the other 25 (30.49%) were medically ill patients. They were given both the original English Version and the translated Tagalog Version. The mean scores were gathered and compared. Each item of both versions were analyzed for reliability coefficient using the Parallel Forms Method. Then a Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was computed for both sets of scores. @*RESULTS@#Majority of the 82 subjects were female (57.31%) and the mean age was 31 years old for all. Even if the medically ill group scores were higher than the score of the normal subjects, the mean scores of the medically ill group did not meet the cut off scorevof 20 points. There was no significant difference in the mean scores of the normal and medically ill subjects from both forms of the test. @*CONCLUSION@#The DMI-18 Tagalog can be used as a screening tool for depression. It is a brief but accurate method by which to screen for depression among the medically ill Filipino patients. The study however failed to show significant clinical depression in the 25 medically ill subjects.