Verbal indicators of depression

Speech content, voice quality, and temporal pacing of speech were evaluated for 11 well and 11 depressed women. Sadness was the dominant mood of the depressed women's speech, whereas happiness and mood neutrality characterized the well women's speech. The well women's tone of voice changed with the content of their speech. The well women spoke with a wide range of fundamental frequency, and the average fundamental frequency of their voices changed according to speech content. In contrast, the depressed women spoke with a narrow range of fundamental frequency, and the average fundamental frequency of their speech was unaffected by speech content. The depressed women spoke with longer pauses than the well women did. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of measures for assessing depression.