Abstract
BackgroundThe Major Depression Inventory (MDI) is a new, brief, self-report measure for depression based on the DSM-system, which allows clinicians to assess the presence of a depressive disorder according to the DSM-IV, but also to assess the severity of the depressive symptoms.MethodsWe examined the sensitivity, specificity, and psychometric qualities of the MDI in a consecutive sample of 258 psychiatric outpatients. Of these patients, 120 had a mood disorder (70 major depression, 49 dysthymia). A total of 139 subjects had a comorbid axis-I diagnosis, and 91 subjects had a comorbid personality disorder.ResultsCrohnbach's alpha of the MDI was a satisfactory 0.89, and the correlation between the MDI and the depression subscale of the SCL-90 was 0.79 (p < .001). Subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD) had a significantly higher MDI score than subjects with anxiety disorders (but no MDD), dysthymias, bipolar, psychotic, other neurotic disorders, and subjects with relational problems. In ROC analysis we found that the area under the curve was 0.68 for the MDI. A good cut-off point for the MDI seems to be 26, with a sensitivity of 0.66, and a specificity of 0.63. The indication of the presence of MDD based on the MDI had a moderate agreement with the diagnosis made by a psychiatrist (kappa: 0.26).ConclusionThe MDI is an attractive, brief depression inventory, which seems to be a reliable tool for assessing depression in psychiatric outpatients.
Highlights
The Major Depression Inventory (MDI) is a new, brief, self-report measure for depression based on the DSM-system, which allows clinicians to assess the presence of a depressive disorder according to the DSM-IV, and to assess the severity of the depressive symptoms
Each of these symptoms is rated on a six-point scale, which allows clinicians to assess the presence of a depressive disorder according to the DSM-IV and the ICD-10, and to assess the severity of the depressive symptoms
We subsequently examined with t-tests whether the mean MDI score differed in subjects with major depression compared to subjects with other diagnoses
Summary
The Major Depression Inventory (MDI) is a new, brief, self-report measure for depression based on the DSM-system, which allows clinicians to assess the presence of a depressive disorder according to the DSM-IV, and to assess the severity of the depressive symptoms. One way to solve this problem is to modify the older instruments and adapt to the modern concept of depressive disorder, as has been done with the 40-year old Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) [3], and the old BDI [4,5]. Another way to solve this problem is by developing new instruments, which cover DSM and ICD items better. The MDI is attractive because it is brief, it allows clinicians to assess the presence of a depressive disorder, and it can be filled in by the patient himself
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