ASSESSING ATYPICAL SEASONAL AFFECTIVE-DISORDER COMPLAINTS BY MEANS OF SELF-RATING

The atypical complaints of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) are usually assessed clinically by means of 7 questions added to the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSDadd). In this study, these complaints were assessed by means of relevant and modified items of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDIadd), a self-rating instrument. A highly significant correlation between the two assessment procedures was found. This suggests that the BDIadd is a very useful alternative to the HRSDadd.