Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)
Psychology: Mental HealthReliability: alpha 0.814 sample items
About this scale
A 17-item clinician-rated depression-severity scale. Standard outcome measure in antidepressant clinical trials.
Sample item(s)
“Depressed mood (clinician-rated 0–4)”
“Feelings of guilt”
“Suicide”
“Insomnia early”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.81. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Foundational clinician-rated depression scale.
Source & citation
Hamilton, M. (1960): A rating scale for depression. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 56–62.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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