Quick rating of depressed mood in patients with anxiety disorders

• Published in: British journal of psychiatry Vol. 174; no. 3; pp. 266 - 269
• Main Authors: McKenzie, N, Marks, I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Cambridge University Press 01.03.1999
• Subjects: Affective Disorders, Psychotic - diagnosis; Anxiety; Anxiety disorders; Anxiety Disorders - psychology; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Humans; Inpatient care; Mental depression; Mood; Patients; Prognosis; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - standards; Ratings & rankings; Reliability; Sensitivity and Specificity; Traditional medicine
• ISSN: 0007-1250; 1472-1465
• DOI: 10.1192/bjp.174.3.266

Regular assessment of mood is often important for treatment but traditional measures can be time-consuming. A quick'litmus test' is needed. To test the reliability and validity of a single-item scale for mood. Mood was measured repeatedly in 812 patients (258 in-patients, 554 out-patient) being treated in an anxiety disorders unit. Patients had self- and clinician ratings of a single-item depression scale and also rated the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-21). Their single-item scores were compared with BDI-21 scores and with outcome measures. The single-item depression scores correlated 0.71 to 0.78 with the BDI-21 scores. Clinically useful cut-off points were identified. Depression scores at discharge, but not pre-treatment, correlated significantly with improvement in the main problem. The quick single-item depression scale, whether rated by patient or by clinician, is a reasonable rough guide to mood in anxiety disorders and saves time for the patient and the clinician compared to longer measures.