Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

[Cateran]

I wonder if any HU correspondent has been asked to complete this questionnaire? I came across a reference to it during my private research into Health Related Quality of Life patient questionnaires frequently used during respiratory clinics at my local general hospital. I have not come across this particular format of psychosocial feedback and do not know whether to be anxious or depressed if I did. Can anyone help?

[SORRELHIPPO]

If I am right I came across this when working in the NHS, did not use it, if it was the one I am thinking of, I find the self reporting ones very variable in results. The Test I used the the most was MEAMs. The Middlesex Elderly (cannot recall the A and M) I presume the A is assessment. Found invaluable as helps with a differential diagnosis between, Dementia (with all its causes including Alzheimers) and Depression. It seems a lot of GP's and others presume Dementia of one sort or another with older patients, and miss treatable Depression. The early symptoms are very similar. I would sometimes have the person's relatives in to watch the test (out of line of sight of the older person) and with strict instructions about them staying silent. So I could show someone that their relative was not loosing memory, (for a lot of relatives dementia appeared to be a preferable diagnosis to depression) this then meant the GP could be contacted regarding treating the depression, or referring on to another agency.

With Well Being, it is so subjective to the individual, my needs for feeling good levels of Well Being, as an almost total housebound ill individual, may differ greatly to the same feelings needed when I was a student. In fact back then, a good meal or a pleasant date the night before, certainly gave me high well being feelings. Now it is more that if I manage to cook and eat a small meal, without collapsing from exhaustion, I feel good about the day.

I did feel, some of the self reporting checks, after a spell of treatment, might be bolstered by patients feeling they "should" feel more positive about life and not wanting to offend the staff who had worked with them. Although the forms do not have the patient ID on them, they knew which Unit/Ward it was for.

[Cateran in reply to SORRELHIPPO]

Very informative Sorrel and helpful. Some of the questions are are direct,

; I feel tense or wound up; i get a sort of frightened feeling as if something bad is about to happen; Worrying thoughts go through my mind; i get sudden feelings of panic....

I feel as if I am slowed down; I have lost interest in my appearance...etc

Simple no nonsense statements which seem to get to the heart of what the patient is feeling

I am not aware of the scoring procedure but I guess it is ordinal.