Introduction
MADRS is a clinician-rated assessment covering 10 aspects of depressive symptoms. It includes both sadness described by the respondent and sadness apparent during an interview, alongside sleep, appetite, concentration and other experiences.
Those two perspectives on sadness illustrate why the form uses clinical judgement. How someone appears and what they report may differ, and both contribute to understanding their situation. Information about change over time is also important when the scale is used across appointments.
PHQ-9 provides a self-report perspective, while MADRS is structured around an assessment interview. Examples of changes in ordinary activities help make that interview specific rather than relying only on general words such as tired or low.
Instructions
A qualified clinician should rate each of the 10 items from 0 to 6 after interviewing and observing the patient over the relevant period. Values 1, 3, and 5 represent intermediate severity. Use this page to record clinician-made ratings, not as an unaided self-assessment.
This is not a standard self-report test
Clinician-rated; not a self-report depression test
Scoring and result metrics
The result page reports a local screening score for this questionnaire. Use the score range, any subscale scores, and the interpretation band together rather than treating one number as a diagnosis.
- Score range
- 0-60
- Items scored
- 10
- Result indicators
- Total score / Interpretation band when available
Score interpretation bands
- 0-6Little to no depression
Scores in the 0-6 range are indicative of little to no depression symptoms
- 7-19Mild depression
Scores in the 7-19 range are indicative of mild depression symptoms.
- 20-34Moderate depression
Scores in the 20-34 range are indicative of moderate depression symptoms.
- 35-60Severe depression
Scores in the 35-60 range are indicative of severe depression symptoms.
Interpretation bands summarize screening thresholds from the questionnaire source material. Higher scores usually indicate more of the measured concern unless the tool notes a different scoring rule.
Tool information
- Version
- 10 questions
- Administration
- Clinician-rated
- Intended audience
- Trained clinicians rating depressive symptom severity after an interview and clinical observation
Sources
- Montgomery SA, Asberg M. (1979). A new depression scale designed to be sensitive to change.
- SA Montgomery, M Asberg. A New Depression Scale Designed to be Sensitive to Change. British Journal of Psychiatry 134 (4): 382-389. 04-1979.
- JBW Williams, KA Kobak. Development and Reliability of a Structured Interview Guide for the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (SIGMA). The British Journal of Psychiatry 192 (1): 52-58. 2008.
Related tests
Explore related screening tools in the same topic area.
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
PHQ-9 asks how often nine depressive experiences occurred during the past two weeks.
Major Depression Inventory (MDI)
The Major Depression Inventory asks about mood, loss of interest, energy and other depressive experiences.
Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS)
The Zung depression questionnaire combines emotional, physical and everyday-functioning experiences in 20 statements.