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Advances in Knowledge
* - To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to translate the 7-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-7) into Arabic using forward and backward translation methods.
* - The results of this study indicate that the translated scale had acceptable reliability and convergent validity among two samples of Arabic-speaking participants in Saudi Arabia.
Application to Patient Care
* - The validated Arabic version of the HAMD-7 scale may be a potentially useful psychiatric tool for the assessment of depression among Arabic-speaking patients, due to its brevity and focus on major aspects of depressive disorders.
Depression is a frequent problem in the general population and the most common mental health condition among patients seen at primary care facilities.1,2 Moreover, it is currently the leading cause of disability and premature death among those aged 18–43 years old.3 However, unlike many other chronic medical disorders, there are currently no clinically relevant biological markers for depression, meaning that the assessment of depressive symptoms depends on standardised rating tools. Patient-administered self-assessment screening tools are a quick and reliable option in the initial assessment of depression or for treatment monitoring purposes. Such scales frequently used in clinical practice and research include the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale.4–9
The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) is one of the most widely used scales to objectively rate depression severity worldwide.10–12 The original scale contains 17 items, of which four do not contribute to the final score and instead provide additional clinical information. The other items are scored on a 3–5 point scale, with the final score indicative of the severity of the patient’s depression.10 Since its development in 1960, structured interview guides, self-report forms and computerised versions of the scale have been created in an effort to standardise administration of the tool and improve the reliability and validity of individual items.10,12,13 Researchers have also attempted to shorten the scale while preserving its psychometric properties; accordingly, a 7-item version was developed in 2003 to estimate depression severity based on criteria in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.14...