The Diagnostics of the Depressive Patients at the Outpatient Clinic for the Gastroenterology : The Application of YSDS

Depressive symptoms were assessed in 51 out-patients at the depertment of the gastroenterology, using the Hamilton's Rating Scale for Depression (HRS) and the Yamaguchi Self-Rating Depression Scale (YSDS).The patients aged from 17 to 75, the group consisting of 26 males and 25 females. Two psychiatrists diagnosed that 13 patients were depressed and 12 patients were neurotic. On the other hand, the HRS found 5 depressed patients, 19 mildly depressed patients and 27 non depressed patients. The YSDS scores highly correlated with the HRS scores (r=0.72) and with psychiatric diagnosis and showed no false negatives nor false positives. In conclusion, the YSDS appears to be useful not only in psychiatry but also general prectice.