TY  - JOUR
T1  - RAting weight loss on the hamilton depression rating scale
AU  - Rausch JL, Sanchez M
Y1  - 1989/05/01
N1  - 10.1001/archpsyc.1989.01810050095019
JO  - Archives of General Psychiatry
SP  - 481
EP  - 482
VL  - 46
IS  - 5
N2  - To the Editor.— 
    Williams1 provides an important contribution in her article in the August 1988 issue of the Archives examining the reliability of individual Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) items on a testretest interview. We wish to draw the readership's attention, however, to one potential problem in the validity of the weight loss rating in the version of the HDRS published with her article. In that version, weight loss was given a score of 3 on the weight loss item when the degree of weight loss was "not assessed." This method yielded the highest possible numerical score for the weight loss rating and likewise increased the total HDRS score in such cases where the information was missing. We suggest that choice No. 3 for this item be eliminated, so that the depression scale not be artificially inflated by default, in the instances where the degree of weight loss has
SN  - 0003-990X
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1989.01810050095019
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1989.01810050095019
ER  -