Abstract

As formulated by Wing [1], to put forward a diagnosis is, first of all, to recognize a condition, i.e. the screening approach, and then to put forward a theory about it. The Melancholia Scale (MES) is a screening tool for recognizing depressive illness which in terms of the MES criteria can be placed on the spectrum of mild, less than major, major, and more than major depression or melancholia. (It should be emphasized that melancholia according to Hamilton [2] refers to depressive illness and not to a diagnosis in itself which unfortunately is the case in DSM-IV [3].)

Keywords

Diurnal Variation Depressive Illness Depressive Syndrome Current Episode Scoring Sheet 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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References

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    Bech P, Allerup P, Gram LF, Kragh-Sørensen P, Rafaelsen OJ, Reisby N, Vestergaard P and DUAG (1989) The Diagnostic Melancholia Scale (DMS). Dimensions of endogenous and reactive depression with relationship to the Newcastle Scales. J Affective Disord 14:161–170CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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    Fuglum E, Rosenberg C, Damsbo N et al (to be published) Screening and treating depressed patients by their family doctors. A randomized controlled trial with citalopram and imipramineGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1995

Authors and Affiliations

  • Per Bech
    • 1
  1. 1.Frederiksborg General HospitalPsychiatric InstituteHillerødDenmark

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