Depression Scale (DEPS) in schizophrenia

: Huttunen J, Taiminen T, Kahkonen J, Tuominen K, Salokangas RKR

Publisher: MUNKSGAARD INT PUBL LTD

: 1999

: Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica

: ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA

: ACTA PSYCHIAT SCAND

: 99

: 3

: 220

: 222

: 3

: 0001-690X

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1999.tb00979.x

Objective: To explore the applicability of the Depression Scale (DEPS), a screening instrument for detecting depression in primary health care, in schizophrenia.

Method: The DEPS was compared with the Calgary Depression Scale (CDS) among 63 patients with schizophrenia.

Results: Using the CDS as a gold standard, the positive and negative predictive values of the DEPS for the diagnosis of depression were 41% and 97%, respectively. The correlation between the total CDS scores and the total DEPS scores was 0.73.

Conclusion: The DEPS appears to be useful for screening depression among schizophrenic patients, but the positive diagnosis must be confirmed with a clinical interview.

Neurology and psychiatry