ABSTRACT
The aim of the study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Ninety-four patients with major depression/depressive mood disorders and 40 healthy controls participated in the study. The severity of depression was assessed with the HDRS, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Clinical Global Impression score (CGI). The test-retest reliability coefficient of the HDRS was based on a 5-day interval was.85, with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of.75 and a split-half reliability coefficient of.76. Interrater reliability coefficients based on the independent ratings of four assessors were between.87 and.98. The correlation between the HDRS and BDI scores was.48, and between the HDRS and CGI it was.56. Principal Components Analysis yielded six factors. The correlation (-.13) between the control and patient groups indicates that the HDRS assesses depression very well.
Subject(s)
Depressive Disorder/diagnosis , Depressive Disorder/psychology , Language , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Reproducibility of Results , Severity of Illness Index , Surveys and Questionnaires , TranslationsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Melancholic versus nonmelancholic depression dichotomy is perhaps the most widely accepted distinction in categorization of depression. This research aims to compare RDC, DSM-III, DSM-III-R, DSM-IV and ICD-10 melancholic/endogenous/somatic and nomelancholic/nonendogenous/nonsomatic depressive patients with regards to biological variables thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), basal and post dexamethasone cortisol levels, age, age of onset of depression, psychosocial stressors, and severity of depression. METHODS: Sixty-five patients who had been diagnosed as having major depression according to DSM III-R, using SCID were included in this study. Patients were divided into melancholic and nonmelancholic subtypes using RDC, DSM-III, DSM III-R, DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria and groups were compared on the basis of biological variables, as well as age, psychosocial stressors and the severity of depression. RESULTS: RDC endogenous depressives were older, more severely depressed and had higher cortisol levels then RDC nonendogenous depressives. DSM III-R melancholics were older, more severely depressed, reported fewer numbers of psychosocial stressors and had lower levels of TSH than nonmelancholics. DSM-IV melancholics were more severely depressed, had higher basal and post dexamethasone cortisol levels and lower TSH levels. The ICD 10 somatic depression group contained more severe, older depressives with lower TSH levels. CONCLUSION: The results of this research show that different criteria may identify different groups of patients as having melancholic depression. They also partly support the hypothesis that endogenous or melancholic depression have a biological basis. LIMITATIONS OF STUDY: The study involved a relatively small sample size from a single centre and the results are based on this relatively small sample.
Subject(s)
Depressive Disorder, Major/diagnosis , Depressive Disorder, Major/psychology , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Adult , Biomarkers , Female , Humans , Hydrocortisone/blood , Male , Reproducibility of Results , Retrospective Studies , Severity of Illness Index , Stress, Psychological/psychology , Thyrotropin/bloodABSTRACT
The efficacy and tolerability of moclobemide and sertraline were compared in a 13 week trial on 55 depressive patients. Patients were diagnosed according to DSM-III-R criteria using SCID (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R). The study group was composed of 48 patients with major depression and 7 with minor depression. Patients were randomized in two drug groups and raters were blind to the drugs patients used. HDRS and CGI were used to assess the change in depressive symptoms. Twenty seven patients received moclobemide and 28 patients received sertraline. The dose of moclobemide used was 300-600 mg/day and that of sertraline was 50-200 mg/day. At the end of 13 weeks mean drop in HDRS for the overall group was 14.78 and the response rate calculated as percentage of patients showing a 50% drop in HDRS score was 77.8. The response rate was 76.5% for moclobemide and 78.5% for sertraline. The difference was not significant. The side effects were assessed by using UKU Side Effects Rating Scale. The most three observed side effects were dry mouth, headache and insomnia.
