Factor study of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Bech Melancholia Scale

In this study, a sample (n = 234) of elderly people between the ages of 60 and 95 was evaluated. Items from the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Bech-Rafaelsen Melancholia Scale were factorialized using the oblique rotation method oblimin. Three clinically significant factors were obtained, accounting for 41% of variance. The first was interpreted as a dimension of inhibition and melancholic depression; the second, insomnia; and the third, somatic and psychic anxiety. It is concluded that the set of items on both scales increases the capacity for evaluating melancholic aspects of depression. In the interpretation of factor analysis, the possible artifact represented by the repetition of similar items must be kept in mind. Despite the loss of simplicity oblique rotation implies, it is considered preferable to orthogonal rotation since it allows for a greater congruity with clinical situations.