A comparison of the cornell scale for depression in dementia and the Montgomery-Aasberg depression rating scale in a memory clinic population.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore the correlation between the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) and the Montgomery-Aasberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) among memory clinic patients.
METHODS: The CSDD (based on an interview with the caregiver) and the MADRS (based on the patient's opinion) were filled in independently of each other among 520 patients. Principal component and correlation analyses were performed.
RESULTS: The mean score of the CSDD was 7.6 (SD: 6.0), and the mean MADRS score was 9.7 (SD: 6.7). The correlation between the two scales was 0.36 for the whole group, 0.22 in the group with dementia and 0.48 for those without dementia, respectively. Principal component analyses revealed four factors for the CSDD and two factors for the MADRS.
CONCLUSIONS: Using two different sources of information, we found a poor correlation between the two scales. We suggest that evaluation of depression among memory clinic patients should be done by interviewing both the patient and the caregiver.