Assessment of depression: a comparison of rating scales

Six depression rating scales (RS) (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI; Zung Self-Rating Scale, SDS; Visual Analogue Scale, VAS; Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, HRSD; Wechsler Depression Rating Scale; Bunney and Hamburg Rating Scale, BHRS) were administered to the same 100 depressed patients and compared as regards ease of use, reliability, distribution, and validity. Separate factor analyses carried out on the items of the single scales showed considerably different factorial structures, thus revealing that different concepts of depression are at the basis of the various scales. These differences suggest that comparison of results derived by the use of different scales must be regarded with caution.