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Depression Assessment in Brazil

The First Application of the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

L. Dratcu
Affiliation:
Department of Psychobiology, Escola Paulista de Medicina
L. da Costa Ribeiro
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual “Francisco Morato de Oliveira”, Säo Paulo, Brazil
H. M. Calil*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychobiology, Escola Paulista de Medicina
*
Escola Paulista de Medicina, Rua Botucatu, 862-1°. andar, 04023 – São Paulo – SP., Brazil

Abstract

Cross-cultural investigation in psychiatry is revealing the need for standardised instruments in diagnosing and assessing depression. Recently, a new instrument was developed to evaluate depressed patients, namely the Montgomery-åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The present study introduced the MADRS in Brazil, comparing it to the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Visual Analogue Mood Scale (a self-rating scale), and with the global clinical assessment of independent Brazilian psychiatrists. The results show correlation between MADRS and the three other assessments, indicating that it is a useful and operational instrument to evaluate depressed patients. They also support the application of the MADRS in cross-cultural studies of depression in Brazil and other countries. These results are critically discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1987 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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