THE HAMILTON RATING-SCALE FOR DEPRESSION - ONE SCALE OR MANY

The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) has emerged as a stand ard in the study of depression. However, despite its extensive use and the assumption that it is a single measure, integration of data produ ced in studies utilizing the HRSD is difficult for several reasons. Af ter a review of 688 relevant articles, it was determined that approxim ately 42% contained referencing errors resulting in confusion over whi ch administration procedures were actually implemented. Since its intr oduction, several alternate versions of the scale have emerged and alt ernate scoring methods, ad hoc revisions, or derivative versions of th e scale have been applied. These and related problems with the HRSD ar e detailed along with suggestions for reducing the ambiguities that re sult from its continued use in depression research.