---
title: "Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D): Score Online"
url: "https://www.ellomind.com/ai-tools-for-psychologists/scales/hamilton-depression-rating-scale/"
description: "Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D / HDRS-17) scoring reference for clinicians: rate the 17 items, with the scoring key, severity bands and a ready-made AI prompt to score de-identified responses. Free, India-first."
---
Depression 

# Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)

Clinician-rated · 17 items · 15 min

Rate and score the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D / HDRS-17), the standard clinician-rated measure of depression severity. Seventeen items, shown in full, with an AI prompt to score de-identified responses in any assistant.

Copy prompt Download as .md

**De-identify first.** The prompt runs in your own AI assistant. Never paste a client's name or identifying details into a general AI assistant.

## What it measures

The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, introduced by Max Hamilton in 1960, is the most widely used clinician-rated measure of depression severity, especially for tracking change in treatment and trials. The classic 17-item version scores mood, guilt, suicide, sleep, work and activities, psychomotor change, anxiety, somatic symptoms and insight.

It is completed by the clinician after a semi-structured interview, not by the client. Items carry different maximum scores (some 0 to 4, some 0 to 2), reflecting how strongly each contributes to the total.

## The HAM-D items

Rate each item from the clinical interview.

1. Depressed mood0 0 Absent · 1 1 On questioning · 2 2 Spontaneous · 3 3 Non-verbal too · 4 4 Virtually only this
2. Feelings of guilt0 0 Absent · 1 1 Self-reproach · 2 2 Ideas of guilt · 3 3 Illness = punishment · 4 4 Accusatory / hallucinations
3. Suicide0 0 Absent · 1 1 Life not worth living · 2 2 Wishes dead · 3 3 Ideas or gestures · 4 4 Attempts
4. Insomnia — early0 0 None · 1 1 Occasional · 2 2 Nightly
5. Insomnia — middle0 0 None · 1 1 Restless/disturbed · 2 2 Waking in the night
6. Insomnia — late (early waking)0 0 None · 1 1 Wakes but resleeps · 2 2 Unable to resleep
7. Work and activities0 0 No difficulty · 1 1 Feels incapable · 2 2 Loss of interest · 3 3 Reduced output · 4 4 Stopped working
8. Retardation0 0 Normal · 1 1 Slight · 2 2 Obvious · 3 3 Interview hard · 4 4 Stupor
9. Agitation0 0 None · 1 1 Fidgety · 2 2 Playing with hands · 3 3 Moving about · 4 4 Wringing / pulling
10. Anxiety — psychic0 0 None · 1 1 Subjective tension · 2 2 Worrying · 3 3 Apprehensive · 4 4 Fears expressed
11. Anxiety — somatic0 0 Absent · 1 1 Mild · 2 2 Moderate · 3 3 Severe · 4 4 Incapacitating
12. Somatic symptoms — gastrointestinal0 0 None · 1 1 Loss of appetite · 2 2 Needs urging to eat
13. Somatic symptoms — general0 0 None · 1 1 Heaviness / fatigue · 2 2 Marked
14. Genital symptoms0 0 Absent · 1 1 Mild · 2 2 Severe
15. Hypochondriasis0 0 Not present · 1 1 Self-absorption · 2 2 Preoccupied with health · 3 3 Frequent complaints · 4 4 Hypochondriacal delusions
16. Loss of weight0 0 None · 1 1 Probable · 2 2 Definite
17. Insight0 0 Acknowledges illness · 1 1 Attributes to other causes · 2 2 Denies being ill

## Scoring and interpretation

After interviewing the client, rate each of the 17 items using the anchors shown. The scorer sums them for a 0 to 52 total. The short anchors here are a memory aid; for formal use, rate against the full instrument's descriptions.

Severity bands vary slightly across sources. A common convention: 0 to 7 no or minimal depression, 8 to 13 mild, 14 to 18 moderate, 19 to 22 severe, and 23 or above very severe. Use the total to track change over time rather than as a stand-alone diagnosis.

| Score | Interpretation           |
| ----- | ------------------------ |
| 0–7   | No or minimal depression |
| 8–13  | Mild                     |
| 14–18 | Moderate                 |
| 19–22 | Severe                   |
| 23+   | Very severe              |

Clinician-rated. Short anchors are a memory aid; rate against the full instrument for formal use. Bands vary across sources.

## Score it with AI

A ready-made prompt that turns any AI assistant into a scorer for the HAM-D. Paste it in, add the client's de-identified responses, and it computes the score and interpretation. Copy it, or download it to save as a reusable prompt.

1. 1 Copy the prompt below, or download it as a file.
2. 2 Open your AI assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or any LLM).
3. 3 Paste the prompt, then add the client's de-identified responses.
4. 4 Review the score and interpretation before you use them.

You are a careful scoring assistant for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), helping a qualified professional. You are a scoring aid, not a clinician: you do not diagnose or recommend treatment.

Ground rules:
- Use ONLY the items, response options and cut-offs given below as the source of truth. Do not rely on any version of this scale from memory; scales have variants and remembered items, scoring or cut-offs may be wrong.
- If anything I paste could identify a client, stop and ask me to de-identify it before scoring.
- Never guess, impute, average, or fill in a missing or unclear response.

Scale: clinician-rated measure, 17 items.

Items:
1. Depressed mood (0 = 0 Absent; 1 = 1 On questioning; 2 = 2 Spontaneous; 3 = 3 Non-verbal too; 4 = 4 Virtually only this)
2. Feelings of guilt (0 = 0 Absent; 1 = 1 Self-reproach; 2 = 2 Ideas of guilt; 3 = 3 Illness = punishment; 4 = 4 Accusatory / hallucinations)
3. Suicide (0 = 0 Absent; 1 = 1 Life not worth living; 2 = 2 Wishes dead; 3 = 3 Ideas or gestures; 4 = 4 Attempts)
4. Insomnia — early (0 = 0 None; 1 = 1 Occasional; 2 = 2 Nightly)
5. Insomnia — middle (0 = 0 None; 1 = 1 Restless/disturbed; 2 = 2 Waking in the night)
6. Insomnia — late (early waking) (0 = 0 None; 1 = 1 Wakes but resleeps; 2 = 2 Unable to resleep)
7. Work and activities (0 = 0 No difficulty; 1 = 1 Feels incapable; 2 = 2 Loss of interest; 3 = 3 Reduced output; 4 = 4 Stopped working)
8. Retardation (0 = 0 Normal; 1 = 1 Slight; 2 = 2 Obvious; 3 = 3 Interview hard; 4 = 4 Stupor)
9. Agitation (0 = 0 None; 1 = 1 Fidgety; 2 = 2 Playing with hands; 3 = 3 Moving about; 4 = 4 Wringing / pulling)
10. Anxiety — psychic (0 = 0 None; 1 = 1 Subjective tension; 2 = 2 Worrying; 3 = 3 Apprehensive; 4 = 4 Fears expressed)
11. Anxiety — somatic (0 = 0 Absent; 1 = 1 Mild; 2 = 2 Moderate; 3 = 3 Severe; 4 = 4 Incapacitating)
12. Somatic symptoms — gastrointestinal (0 = 0 None; 1 = 1 Loss of appetite; 2 = 2 Needs urging to eat)
13. Somatic symptoms — general (0 = 0 None; 1 = 1 Heaviness / fatigue; 2 = 2 Marked)
14. Genital symptoms (0 = 0 Absent; 1 = 1 Mild; 2 = 2 Severe)
15. Hypochondriasis (0 = 0 Not present; 1 = 1 Self-absorption; 2 = 2 Preoccupied with health; 3 = 3 Frequent complaints; 4 = 4 Hypochondriacal delusions)
16. Loss of weight (0 = 0 None; 1 = 1 Probable; 2 = 2 Definite)
17. Insight (0 = 0 Acknowledges illness; 1 = 1 Attributes to other causes; 2 = 2 Denies being ill)

Interpretation (ranges are inclusive; work out from these bands whether a higher score means more or less of the construct):
- Total 0 to 52: 0–7 No or minimal depression; 8–13 Mild; 14–18 Moderate; 19–22 Severe; 23+ Very severe.

When I give the client's de-identified responses, work in this order:
1. Parse them as item → value and restate the table so I can check it. If I give option labels, the client's words, or a finer scale than the options above, map each to the listed values and show the mapping.
2. Validate before scoring: confirm there are exactly 17 responses, each within its allowed range. If any are missing, extra, duplicated, out of range, or ambiguous, STOP and tell me what is wrong. Do not score a partial or invalid set.
3. Show your work: list the value used for each item (after any reverse-scoring), then add them explicitly. Add them to reach the total. Use only the numbers above.
4. Report, in this order:
   - the total score;
   - the severity band, quoting the exact range it falls in;
   - one or two sentences on what the score means on this scale;
   - this caveat: Clinician-rated. Short anchors are a memory aid; rate against the full instrument for formal use. Bands vary across sources.
   - a reminder that the HAM-D is a screening or rating aid, not a diagnosis, to be read within a full clinical assessment.
5. Re-check the arithmetic before finalising, and do not add a diagnosis, formulation or treatment plan unless I ask separately.

Here are the de-identified responses:

Copy prompt Download as .md

Before you rely on the score

* **Check the maths yourself.** AI assistants can still add up wrong or misapply a rule. The prompt makes the assistant show each item's value and the sum, so glance over that working, and re-total anything you will act on.
* **Confirm it used this scale.** Check that the items, response values, reverse-scoring and cut-offs it used match this page, not a different or outdated version the model recalled.
* **Watch for missing or odd inputs.** The prompt is told to stop rather than guess a missing or out-of-range response. If it scores anyway, treat the result as unreliable and re-check your inputs.
* **Act on critical items regardless of the total.** Respond to risk indicators, such as a self-harm item, on their own merit, even when the overall score looks low.
* **De-identify first, every time.** The assistant runs in your own account, outside ElloMind. Never enter a client's name or identifying details.
* **It is a screening aid, not the decision.** The score supports your clinical judgement within a full assessment. It does not diagnose, and it does not decide.

## Use the score in your notes

Take the score into a de-identified write-up with one of the free AI tools.

[Documentation Progress note (SOAP, DAP, BIRP)](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/progress-note-writer/) [Treatment planning Treatment plan (SMART goals)](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/treatment-plan/) [Formulation Case formulation (5Ps and CBT)](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/case-formulation/)

## Citation and sources

Hamilton, M. (1960). A rating scale for depression. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 23(1), 56-62.

The HAM-D is in the public domain.

* [Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton%5FRating%5FScale%5Ffor%5FDepression)  — Wikipedia
* [Hamilton scale — clinical reference](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555987/)  — NCBI / StatPearls

Want a version a client can fill in themselves? Point them to [the depression self-check for clients](/tools/depression/).

## Frequently asked questions

Who completes the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale? + 

The clinician, after a semi-structured interview. It is a clinician-rated scale, unlike self-report measures such as the PHQ-9 or the client version of the depression self-check.

What score indicates severe depression on the HAM-D? + 

By a common convention, 19 to 22 indicates severe and 23 or above very severe depression, with 0 to 7 in the normal range. Thresholds vary slightly across sources, so state which convention you use.

Is the HAM-D free to use? + 

Yes. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale is in the public domain.

Does ElloMind see the client's data? + 

No. The prompt runs in your own AI assistant, and ElloMind never sees it. De-identify client information first.

## More scales

[Depression Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/scales/phq-9-depression-scale/) [Anxiety Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/scales/gad-7-anxiety-scale/) [Depression · Anxiety · Stress Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21)](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/scales/dass-21/) [Anxiety Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A)](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/scales/hamilton-anxiety-rating-scale/)

A screening and rating aid for qualified professionals, not a diagnosis or a substitute for clinical judgement. Interpret every score within a full assessment. Never paste identifiable client data into a general AI assistant. If a client is in crisis, contact a [crisis helpline](/crisis-helpline/) right away.

[Back to all scales](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/scales/)