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Saundra's Corner
Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A)
01/28/2019
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Click here for a PDF of the HAM-A Developed in 1959 by Dr. M. Hamilton, the scale has proven useful not only in following individual patients but also in research involving many patients.
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How to UseThe Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) is a widely used and well-validated tool for measuring the severity of a patient's anxiety. It should be administered by an experienced clinician.
The major value of HAM-A is to assess the patient's response to a course of treatment, rather than as a diagnostic or screening tool. By administering the scale serially, a clinician can document the results of drug treatment or psychotherapy.
How to ScoreThe HAM-A probes 14 parameters and takes 15-20 minutes to complete the interview and score the results. Each item is scored on a 5-point scale, ranging from 0=not present to 4=severe.
Sensitivity: 85.7%
Specificity: 63.5% Kummer A, et al. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2010;68(4):495-501 |
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