Patient Name: ________________ Date: ________________

Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D-17)

Patient Name: ________________ Date: ________________

1. Depressed Mood (sadness, hopeless, helpless, worthless) 10. Anxiety Psychic

0  Absent. 0  No difficulty.
1  These feeling states indicated only on questioning. 1  Subjective tension and irritability.
2  These feeling states spontaneously reported verbally. 2  Worrying about minor matters.
3  Communicates feeling states non-verbally, i.e. through facial expression, posture, voice and 3  Apprehensive attitude apparent in face or speech.
tendency to weep. 4  Fears expressed without questioning.
4  Patient reports VIRTUALLY ONLY these feeling states in his/her spontaneous verbal and
non-verbal communication. 11. Anxiety Somatic
Physiological concomitants of anxiety such as:
2. Feelings of Guilt Gastro-intestinal – dry mouth, wind, indigestion, diarrhea, cramps, belching
0  Absent. Cardio-vascular – palpitations, headaches
1  Self reproach, feels he/she has let people down. Respiratory – hyperventilation, sighing
2  Ideas of guilt or rumination over past errors or sinful deeds. Urinary frequency
3  Present illness is a punishment. Delusions of guilt. Sweating
4  Hears accusatory or denunciatory voices and/or experiences threatening 0  Absent.
visual hallucinations. 1  Mild.
2  Moderate.
3. Suicide 3  Severe.
0  Absent. 4  Incapacitating.
1  Feels life is not worth living.
2  Wishes he/she were dead or any thoughts of possible death to self. 12. Somatic Symptoms Gastrointestinal
3  Ideas or gestures of suicide. 0  None.
4  Attempts at suicide (any serious attempt rate 4). 1L  oss of appetite but eating without staff encouragement. Heavy feelings in abdomen.
2D  ifficulty eating without staff urging. Requests or requires laxatives or medication for bowels or
4. Insomnia Early medication for G.I. symptoms.
0  No difficulty falling asleep.
1  Complains of occasional difficulty falling asleep, i.e. more than 1⁄2 hour. 13. Somatic Symptoms General
2  Complains of nightly difficulty falling asleep. 0  None.
1H  eaviness in limbs, back or head. Backaches, headaches, muscle aches. Loss of energy and
5. Insomnia Middle fatigability.
0  No difficulty. 2  Any clear-cut symptom rates 2.
1  Patient complains of being restless and disturbed during the night.
2  Waking during the night – any getting out of bed rates 2 (except for purposes of voiding). 14. Genital Symptoms
Symptoms such as: Loss of libido, menstrual disturbances
6. Insomnia Late 0  Absent.
0  No difficulty. 1  Mild.
1  Waking in early hours of the morning but goes back to sleep. 2  Severe.
2  Unable to fall asleep again if he/she gets out of bed.
15. Hypochondriasis
7. Work and Activities 0  Not present.
0  No difficulty. 1  Self-absorption (bodily).
1  Thoughts and feelings of incapacity, fatigue or weakness related to activities, work or hobbies. 2  Preoccupation with health.
2  Loss of interest in activity, hobbies or work – either directly reported by the patient or indirect in 3  Frequent complaints, requests for help, etc.
listlessness, indecision and vacillation (feels he/she has to push self to work or activities). 4  Hypochondriacal delusions.
3  Decrease in actual time spent in activities or decrease in productivity. Rate 3 if the patient does
not spend at least three hours a day in activities (hospital, job or hobbies) excluding ward chores. 16. Loss of Weight (Rate either A or B)
4  Stopped working because of present illness. In hospital, rate 4 if patient engages in no activities a) When rating by history: b) On weekly ratings by ward psychiatrist, when
except routine chores, or if patient fails to perform ward chores unassisted. 0  No weight loss. actual weight changes are measured:
1P  robable weight loss associated with 0  Less than 1 lb weight loss in week.
8. Retardation (slowness of thought and speech, impaired ability to concentrate, decreased motor present illness. 1  Greater than 1 lb weight loss
activity) 2D  efinite (according to patient) weight loss. 2G  reater than 2 lb weight loss in week.
0  Normal speech and thought. 3  Not assessed. 3  Not assessed.
1  Slight retardation during the interview.
2  Obvious retardation during the interview. 17. Insight
3  Interview difficult. 0  Acknowledges being depressed and ill.
4  Complete stupor. 1  Acknowledges illness but attributes cause to bad food, climate, overwork, virus, need for rest, etc.
2  Denies being ill at all.
9. Agitation
0  None.
1  Fidgetiness.
2  Playing with hands, hair, etc.
3  Moving about, can’t sit still.
4  Hand wringing, nail biting, hair-pulling, biting of lips.

Rater’s initials: ________________

Total Score __________

Rater’s initials: ________________

Reference: Hamilton M. A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1960;23:56–62.
This scale is in the public domain.