A comparison of the validity of the Cornell Scale and the MADRS in detecting depression among memory clinic patients.

摘要

The aim of the study was to compare the validity of the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) and the Montgomery-Aasberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) among memory clinic patients.The scales were independently completed for 125 patients. The diagnosis of depression was made by psychiatrists blinded to the depression scores.The mean score of the Mini-Mental State Examination was 25.5 (SD: 4.6), of the CSDD 6.8 (SD: 4.9), and of the MADRS 8.5 (SD: 6.8). In receiver operation characteristics (ROC) analyses, the AUC for the CSDD was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.63-0.82) using the International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) criteria for depression, and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.57-0.79) using the DSM-IV criteria. The AUC was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.81-0.95) for the MADRS using the ICD-10 criteria, and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.76-0.92) using the DSM-IV criteria.Both scales are suitable as screening tools. According to the ROC analyses, the MADRS seems better at distinguishing depressed from nondepressed patients.