Time-dependent structural validation of the Hamilton depression rating scale (HAM-D) in patients with moderate depression – Revaluation of two controlled trials

Introduction There is a long lasting discussion to use short forms of the HAM-D instead of the common used 17-item form to safe time and get more accurate results. In more theoretical terms this means looking for responsive factors which account for the variation between visits. We therefore assessed the latent structure and its stability over time of the HAM-D in 2 controlled trials with different time courses. Methods We investigated a 6 week 3-arm study comparing Hypericum extract STW3-VI, citalopram and placebo and a 24 week study comparing Hypericum extract STW3 and sertraline. To assess the latent structur…