The Zung Depression Self-Rate Scale is a questionnaire used by therapists and doctors to measure the level of patients’ depressive disorders. Respondents answer 20 statements and the score is quantified into four bands of depression. The test is used in several countries and languages. Other tests are also used to diagnose and treat depression.
Created by psychiatrist William Zung, a Duke University professor, the Zung Depression Self-Rate Scale is one of the few questionnaires used by therapists and doctors to measure the level of patients’ depressive disorders. Respondents answered “some of the time”, “sometimes”, “a good part of the time” or “most of the time” to the 20 test statements. Zung’s test then quantifies the score into four bands of depression, ranging from normal to severely depressed. This method is used in several countries in numerous languages.
The statements that patients respond to on the Zung Depression Self-Rate Scale, also known as the Mood Inventory, are equally divided between positively and negatively constructed descriptive sentences. For example, the first statement is “I feel down and sad.” Next is “Morning is when I feel best.” This continues until the patient has quantified all 20 statements with his or her level of truthfulness for any particular feeling.
Zung designed his test to assess four modes of depression in average patients. Some claims attempt to quantify the pervasive effect of the disorder; others aim to determine the physiological strain derived from the patient’s depressive state. The other types of statements check for psychomotor disturbances or agitation, such as hand wringing or nail biting. The fourth type of statement is a catch-all to see if there may be other problems.
For each statement, the patient calculates a score from “1” to “4”, depending on the level of agreement. At the end of the test, the sum of all declarations is determined. Scores between 20 and 49 indicate a normal level of depressive activity, but a score of 50 to 59 is mildly depressed. A score between 60 and 69 is moderately depressed, and any score of 70 or greater is considered severely depressed.
Zung, however, did not limit his scale-making to depressive disorders. The Zung Depression Self-Rate Scale is one of several tests routinely used to help healthcare professionals determine the correct course of treatment. Another commonly used clinical tool is the Zung Anxiety Self-Rate Scale.
For depression alone, there is also a Hamilton Rating Scale, a Montgomery-Asberg Scale, a Beck Depression Inventory, a Beck Despair Scale, a Geriatric Depression Scale, and a Postnatal Scale. There’s even a test that combines statements about depression and anxiety, two disorders that often appear in concert. Depending on the level of depression, family history of depression, and other factors as well, one or more of these tests may be used to properly diagnose and treat this disorder.
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