| Summary: | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) is commonly used as a screening instrument, as a continuous measure of change in depressive symptoms over time, and as a means to compare the relative efficacy of treatments. Among several abridged versions, the 6-item HAM-D<sub>6</sub> is used most widely in large degree because of its good psychometric properties. The current study compares both self-report and clinician-rated versions of the Hebrew version of this scale<sub>.</sub></p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 153 Israelis 75 years of age on average participated in this study. The HAM-D<sub>6</sub> was examined using confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) models separately for both patient and clinician responses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Reponses to the HAM-D<sub>6</sub> suggest that this instrument measures a unidimensional construct with each of the scales’ six items contributing significantly to the measurement. Comparisons between self-report and clinician versions indicate that responses do not significantly differ for 4 of the 6 items. Moreover, 100% sensitivity (and 91% specificity) was found between patient HAM-D<sub>6</sub> responses and clinician diagnoses of depression.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results indicate that the Hebrew HAM-D<sub>6</sub> can be used to measure and screen for depressive symptoms among elderly patients.</p>
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