Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)
A total does not establish individual item responses.
To be administered by a health care professional. The HAM-D is designed to rate the severity of depression in patients. Although this source contains 21 areas, calculate the score on the first 17 answers. Complete the remaining areas as clinically appropriate; their ratings do not enter the first-17 total. For diurnal variation, note morning or evening worsening. This exact APA-hosted adaptation rates agitation from 0 to 2 and the first-17 total therefore ranges from 0 to 50. Record this edition when comparing assessments.
Adapted from Hamilton M (1960), A rating scale for depression. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry23:56–62. Exact form hosted and identified as public domain by the American Psychological Association.
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About this scale and references
Reference information · Questionnaire
- Last content update
- 2026-10-26
- Clinical review
- Not independently reviewed
- Source jurisdiction
- See individual sources
- Coverage
- Questionnaire
| Field | Instrument context |
|---|---|
| Version | APA-hosted 1960-adapted English form; first17 score0–50; agitation0–2; four additional areas unscored |
| Population | Adults receiving clinical assessment of depressive symptoms |
| Respondent | Trained health care professional interview and observation |
| Recall period | Specify a consistent clinical assessment interval |
| Purpose | Document clinician-rated depressive symptom severity and changes over time |
Interpretation & limitations
- Add only the first 17 ratings. Higher totals indicate more depressive symptom burden within this exact version; its range is 0–50.
- The source adaptation differs from common HAM-D forms that rate agitation0–4 and have a0–52 range. These totals are not interchangeable.
- No automatic severity bands are applied: the source legend leaves exact score23 unspecified, and clinical interpretation depends on the population and assessment protocol.
- The four additional source areas and morning/evening context are displayed separately and do not change the17-item total.
- Use requires trained clinical judgment and a consistent documented assessment interval. Missing observations must not be entered as absent.
- No automatic diagnosis, medication change or declaration of safety.
References · 2
- APA-hosted exact English form, full questions and response anchors
- APA depression guideline: access and permission statement for this exact linked PDF · The American Psychological Association depression guideline assessment page explicitly identifies its linked version as public domain and states that permission is not required for use. Preserve source attribution and the exact linked edition; this does not establish clinical or production approval.