A validation study of three anxiety and depression self-assessment scales.

All measuring instruments require further validation both in the setting for which they were designed and in other fields. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was designed for detection and assessment of those mood disorders in the setting of hospital medical and surgical clinics. Reasons are given for supposing it has advantages over other similar scales. The present study undertakes a further validation of the scale in a general hospital setting. The opportunity is taken to assess the usefulness, in this setting of the Irritability Depression and Anxiety Scale and also of two subscales of the General Health Questionnaire, the one relating to the concept of depression and the other to the concept of anxiety. Score ranges of the latter two subscales are suggested and will require replication for confirmation of their usefulness.