The cut-off points of the Depression and Somatic Symptoms Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in detecting non-full remission and a current major depressive episode

BackgroundWhether alexithymia is a personality trait that increases the risk of major depression (MD) is still debated. In this prospective study, alexithymic levels were evaluated before, during and after a depressive episode.MethodThe alexithymic levels, the presence of MD and the severity of anxious-depressive symptoms were evaluated at intervals of about 1 month in pregnant women attending the Centers for Prenatal Care, using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).ResultsSixteen women affected by MD, 21 affected by subthreshold depression and 112 non-depressed women were included in the study. Women who developed depression, compared to non-depressed women, showed similar TAS and HADS scores during the pre-morbid phase, a significant increase in the scores during depression and a significant decrease after remission, whereas no change was observed in non-depressed women.ConclusionsOur data suggest that in pregnant women alexithymia does not represent a personality trait that increases the risk of developing a depressive episode, and they support the hypothesis that alexithymia is a state-dependent phenomenon in depressed pregnant women.

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EFFECTIVENESS OF A SHORTER MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH A CURRENT MAJOR DEPRESSIVE EPISODE: A RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED TRIAL

10.26226/morressier.5d1a036b57558b317a13fcf3 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Min-Shan Li ◽

Galen Chin-Lun Hung

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Cognitive Therapy ◽

Depressive Episode ◽

Major Depressive Episode ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

A Current

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Diagnostic evaluation of the hospital depression scale (HADS) and the Beck depression inventory II (BDI-II) in adults with congenital heart disease using a structured clinical interview: Impact of depression severity

European Journal of Preventive Cardiology ◽

10.1177/2047487319865055 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 381-390 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mechthild Westhoff-Bleck ◽

Lotta Winter ◽

Lukas Aguirre Davila ◽

Christoph Herrmann-Lingen ◽

Jens Treptau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Depressive Disorder ◽

Beck Depression Inventory ◽

Congenital Heart ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Hospital Anxiety ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Depression Subscale

Objective The purpose of this study was the diagnostic evaluation of the hospital anxiety and depression scale total score, its depression subscale and the Beck depression inventory II in adults with congenital heart disease. Methods This cross-sectional study evaluated 206 patients with congenital heart disease (mean age 35.3 ± 11.7 years; 58.3% men). Major depressive disorder was diagnosed by a structured clinical interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV and disease severity with the Montgomery–Åsberg depression rating scale. Receiver operating characteristics provided assessment of diagnostic accuracy. Youden’s J statistic identified optimal cut-off points. Results Fifty-three participants (25.7%) presented with major depressive disorder. Of these, 28 (52.8%) had mild and 25 (47.2%) had moderate to severe symptoms. In the total cohort, the optimal cut-off of values was >11 in the Beck depression inventory II, >11 in the hospital anxiety and depression scale and >5 in the depression subscale. Optimal cut-off points for moderate to severe major depressive disorder were similar. The cut-offs for mild major depressive disorder were lower (Beck depression inventory II >4; hospital anxiety and depression scale >8; >2 in its depression subscale). In the total cohort the calculated area under the curve varied between 0.906 (hospital anxiety and depression scale) and 0.93 (Beck depression inventory II). Detection of moderate to severe major depressive disorder (area under the curve 0.965–0.98) was excellent; detection of mild major depressive disorder (area under the curve 0.851–0.885) was limited. Patients with major depressive disorder had a significantly lower quality of life, even when they had mild symptoms. Conclusion All scales were excellent for detecting moderate to severe major depressive disorder. Classification of mild major depressive disorder, representing 50% of cases, was limited. Therapy necessitating loss of quality of life is already present in major depressive disorder with mild symptoms. Established cut-off points may still be too high to identify patients with major depressive disorder requiring therapy. External validation is needed to confirm our data.

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