COMPARATIVE VALIDITY OF 2 MEASURES OF PSYCHOMOTOR FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE DEPRESSION

Psychomotor function is a key construct in depressed patients and two measures have been developed for systematic rating. Parker and colleag ues utilise an observer-rated scale (CORE) while the scale (DRRS) deve loped by Widlocher assesses motor and ideational aspects. Associations between the scales and their relative capacity to predict ECT respons e were investigated in a sample of 81 depressed patients. Both predict ed ECT response. While the CORE scale rates a wider variety of phenome na (including non-interactiveness and agitation) and does not rely on the subject's capacity to report aspects of their cognitive function, the study supports the predictive and comparitive validity of both sca les.