Development of the Screener for Assessing Depression Scale: Why do we need another depression scale?*

Abstract Depression is a significant problem which affects the lives of a substantial number of people. Improved recognition of depression is an important step towards the treatment and prevention of depression. Objective. The present study examined the reliability and validity of the Screener for Assessing Depression (SAD) Scale as a measure of depression severity and as a confirmation of a major depressive episode. Method. The sample included 100 adults who were receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment (60 met criteria for a major depressive disorder and 40 met criteria for other psychological disorders without depression as a main feature). Results. Different cut-off scores were proposed in order to score the SAD Scale as a screening measure or to confirm a depressive episode. Scoring the SAD Scale according to the criteria for a major depressive episode correctly classified 87% of the sample. Conclusion. Overall, the results indicated that the SAD Scale is a reliable and valid measure for detecting a depressive episode and for assessing depression severity.