USE OF THE HAMILTON AND MONTGOMERY-ASBERG DEPRESSION SCALES IN INSTITUTIONALIZED ELDERLY PATIENTS

In screening for a study of drug treatment of major depression, the au thors obtained data on depressive symptoms in elderly residential care patients (N = 116; average age 84 years; 81% women). Principal-compon ents analysis (with varimax rotation) of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression yielded a four-factor solution (accounting for 47.2% of va riance): core depression, anxiety, insomnia-hypochondriasis, and cogni tive-ideational symptoms. The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale yield ed two factors (54% of variance)-core depression and anxiety. Core dep ression factor scores from both scales (but not other factor scores) p redicted mortality. The association of core depression with mortality (in subsets of patients for which data on these covariates were availa ble) remained significant after measures of illness burden and disabil ity were controlled.