Standardized assessment of depressive disorders (SADD) in Ghana

A study on the Standardized Assessment of Depressive Disorders (SADD) in collaboration with WHO Headquarters, Geneva, is reported in this paper. The instruments used for the study were screening forms and the SADD schedule, both of which were supplied by WHO. Fifty depressed patients were selected from the outpatients and inpatients of the Accra psychiatric hospital by experienced specialist psychiatrists using the screening forms. The two investigators then carried out a clinical assessment on each selected patient using the SADD schedule. The data collected were subjected to computer analysis. Findings were similar to those from previous WHO/SADD studies in different cultures. Specifically, the investigators found a "core" of depressive symptomatology among African patients in Ghana. An interesting finding was the change in the presentation of depression in African patients over the past 30 years. Broad diagnostic groupings like endogenous depression and psychogenic depression could easily be applied to the study patients. There is a great need for more SADD studies in Africa.