Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ( HADS ) is a questionnaire used for self- assessment of symptoms of depression and anxiety . It comprises 14 questions with four-level answer options. The English version comes from AS Zigmond and RP Snaith from 1983. The German version (HADS-D) was published in 1991 by Ch. Herrmann, U. Buss and RP Snaith in 1995. The test is called a screening procedure that targets lighter forms of the disorder. "Intrusive items" and questions about physical indicators for mental disorders are avoided in order to avoid that the result is confused by organic diseases . The fear scale primarily depicts fears that are generalized and panic attacks . This suggests that phobias may be less inquired about .

The test consists of 14 questions, 7 of which relate to anxiety and 7 to depression and are presented alternately thematically. There are scores from 0 to 3 for each answer. By adding up the individual ratings, a fear scale and a depression scale can be formed.

The values are interpreted as follows:

0–7 normal
8-10 suspicious
> 10 noticeable

A dichotomization is also possible.

Test development

The test is based on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale and the section on anxiety in the Present State Examination interview . In 1983, Ziegmond and Snaith tested the internal consistency of a longer form of HADS on 100 patients at a medical outpatient clinic and then removed questions that were weak . The resulting consists of 14 questions. They would then have compared the results of this form with expert judgments as an external criterion ( validation ). This questionnaire was then translated into German.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Marie-Luise Elsner v. der Malsburg: Investigation of the applicability and effectiveness of a structured exercise program in rehabilitation for breast cancer patients with fatigue . Cuvillier Verlag, 2006, ISBN 978-3-86727-029-8 , pp. 70 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Jürgen Hoyer, Jürgen Margraf: Anxiety diagnosis: Basics and test procedures . Springer-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-642-18976-0 , pp. 140 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed August 31, 2015]).

[:0-1] Marie-Luise Elsner v. der Malsburg: Investigation of the applicability and effectiveness of a structured exercise program in rehabilitation for breast cancer patients with fatigue . Cuvillier Verlag, 2006, ISBN 978-3-86727-029-8 , pp. 70 ( limited preview in Google Book search).

[:1-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Jürgen Hoyer, Jürgen Margraf: Anxiety diagnosis: Basics and test procedures . Springer-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-642-18976-0 , pp. 140 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed August 31, 2015]).