Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
Encyclopedia
HADS is commonly used by doctors to determine the levels of anxiety
and depression
that a patient is experiencing. It is a 10 point scale such that if a patient scores the lowest possible value of 1 they are considered to possibly need clinical psychiatric treatment. If the patient scores the maximum points (10) they will be considered clinically stable. These points are determined by a series of questions asked by a clinician. Certain questions geared towards anxiety while others toward depression. The patient would be asked to answer with his/her feelings during the past week. While answering the questions the patient should answer with immediate reactions, thus giving truer accuracy of their feelings.
The HADS was seen in its first clinical trials at Johns Hopkins Hospital
in 1982. Dr. Alexi Kolkholv used this method on a wide variety of his psychiatric patients during its inaugural year long study. It was used to help determine the effects of acute high stress
situations on patients as well as long term hospitalization. With proven results it became widely used assessment tool in hospitals by 1985. In North America it is now the standard used in all hospitals and psychiatric clinics. Though going through minor changes to its scoring system and questions in 1992 by the Copenhagen Institute of Mental Health; HADS has generally retained its original format.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
and depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
that a patient is experiencing. It is a 10 point scale such that if a patient scores the lowest possible value of 1 they are considered to possibly need clinical psychiatric treatment. If the patient scores the maximum points (10) they will be considered clinically stable. These points are determined by a series of questions asked by a clinician. Certain questions geared towards anxiety while others toward depression. The patient would be asked to answer with his/her feelings during the past week. While answering the questions the patient should answer with immediate reactions, thus giving truer accuracy of their feelings.
The HADS was seen in its first clinical trials at Johns Hopkins Hospital
Johns Hopkins Hospital
The Johns Hopkins Hospital is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland . It was founded using money from a bequest by philanthropist Johns Hopkins...
in 1982. Dr. Alexi Kolkholv used this method on a wide variety of his psychiatric patients during its inaugural year long study. It was used to help determine the effects of acute high stress
Stress (biology)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
situations on patients as well as long term hospitalization. With proven results it became widely used assessment tool in hospitals by 1985. In North America it is now the standard used in all hospitals and psychiatric clinics. Though going through minor changes to its scoring system and questions in 1992 by the Copenhagen Institute of Mental Health; HADS has generally retained its original format.