The Hamilton Depression Assessment is a psychological questionnaire tool used to rate the severity of depression. The tool has gained popularity over the years and is currently one of the most common tool used to measure depression. The tool was published more than 50 years ago and has been used to assess the severity of anxiety by many practitioners. The aim of this paper is to discuss the Hamilton Anxiety Scale by analyzing its psychometric properties and its appropriateness when used with clients.
Psychometric Properties
The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale was created to assess the severity of individuals that have been diagnosed with anxiety. It is a clinical questionnaire that is made of 14 symptoms meant to cater for the somatic and psychological symptoms. The assessment tool stressed that the outcome of an interview depends on the individual that performs the scale. A successful rating is thus dependent on the individual performance in the rating and observation of their agitation and level of anxiety throughout the interview (Thompson, 2015). The tool was analyzed by Bagby et al. (2004) who established that the tool is conceptually and psychometrically flawed since it lacks an individual item reliability. Nevertheless, the authors established that there are psychometric properties of the tool that are adequate and would meet an established criterion.
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Appropriate Use with Clients
The Hamilton anxiety scale can be used to successfully rate the anxiety level of patients taking medication. Bobo et al. (2016) analyzed individual patient data from the treatment of medication and the use of the 7-item and the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). The results from the data were found showed that there was approximately 50% decrease from the baseline values. This was used to show that the HDRS-17 scores can be accepted for the definition of clinical response and use among clients. The Hamilton anxiety rating scale is thus used to successfully rate the level of anxiety in a patient. The tool can also be used to evaluate the efficacy of medication and psychological interventions. Thompson (2015) identified that the tool can be used with high reliability among anxious and depressed patients. Healthcare practitioners should thus understand how to use the assessment to evaluate the psychological status of a patient.
References
Bagby, R. M., Ryder, A. G., Schuller, D. R., & Marshall, M. B. (2004). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale: has the gold standard become a lead weight? American Journal of Psychiatry , 161 (12), 2163-2177.
Bobo, W. V., Angleró, G. C., Jenkins, G., Hall ‐ Flavin, D. K., Weinshilboum, R., & Biernacka, J. M. (2016). Validation of the 17 ‐ item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale definition of response for adults with major depressive disorder using equipercentile linking to Clinical Global Impression scale ratings: analysis of Pharmacogenomic Research Network Antidepressant Medication Pharmacogenomic Study (PGRN ‐ AMPS) data. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental , 31 (3), 185-192.
Thompson, E. (2015). Hamilton rating scale for anxiety (HAM-A). Occupational Medicine , 65 (7), 601.
