Self-evaluation of Depression in Various Diagnostic and Therapeutic Groups

Abstract

IN psychiatric practice depression is usually evaluated by someone other than the patient. In this study the patients provided their own evaluation using a modified version of the Beck Inventory of Depression.¹This inventory reflects changes in the intensity of depression thereby providing a measure of improvement. It also lessens the problems of variability in clinical judgment and "experimenter effect."²Patients treated with electro convulsive therapy (ECT) were compared with patients having chemotherapy to see if there were any differences between them, on admission and after a period of treatment. The null hypothesis was that the classification of patients into diagnostic and therapeutic groups does not differ significantly from random allocation, either before or after treatment. Method Patients admitted to two admission wards, one male, the other female were given a modified version of the Beck Inventory of Depres