Comparison and Investigation of the Patient's Self-Rating Depression Inventories

Three kinds of the self rating depression scales such as Clinical Psychopharmacology Research Group Depression Rating-Scale (CPRG), Beck's Depression Inventry (BDI) and Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were used at the out-patient clinic. At any rating scales, depressive patients showed highter average scores than other patients. This difference was statistically significant. The difference was largest in SDS group, secondary in CPRG group and smallest in BDI group. On the other hand, BDI was the simplest and the easiest at use, the second was SDS. CPRG consisted of so many items (72 items) that some patients refused to check that rating scales. Therefore, for the purpose of screening, SDS is the most useful in these rating scales. But variation of the total score is too lage to separate the depressive patients from others. For this purpose, we realize the necessity of making better rating scale, and hope to create more competent and easier rating scale.