Ellen et al,
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| A screening test for anxiety and depression22
Anxiety scale
Score one point for each "Yes".
- Have you felt keyed up, on edge?
- Have you been worrying a lot?
- Have you been irritable?
- Have you had any difficulty relaxing?
If "Yes" to two of the above, go on to ask:
- Have you been sleeping poorly?
- Have you had headaches or neck aches?
- Have you had any of the following: trembling, tingling, dizzy
spells, sweating, urinary frequency, diarrhoea?
- Have you been worried about your health?
- Have you had difficulty falling asleep?
Depression scale
Score one point for each "Yes".
- Have you had low energy?
- Have you had loss of interests?
- Have you lost confidence in yourself?
- Have you felt hopeless?
If "Yes" to ANY question, go on to ask:
- Have you had difficulty concentrating?
- Have you lost weight (due to poor appetite)?
- Have you been waking early?
- Have you felt slowed up?
- Have you tended to feel worse in the morning?
Interpretation
Add anxiety score, add depression score. Patients with anxiety
scores of five, or depression scores of two have a 50% chance of having
clinically important disturbance; above these scores the
probability of illness rises sharply.
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