How does the CUDOS compare to other depression symptom questionnaires?
There are many self-administered depression scales, though some are less appealing as outcome tools for use in routine clinical practice because they are either too long (Beck Depression Inventory, Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms) lack adequate coverage of the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria (Zung Depression Scale), are expensive to purchase (Beck Depression Inventory), or are somewhat complicated to score (Zung Depression Scale). Because of ease of use considerations, we would recommend that either the CUDOS or the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) be used by clinicians at every visit to monitor the course of depression. The PHQ-9 adheres to the construction of the DSM-IV criteria; thus compound DSM-IV criteria which refer to more than one symptom (e.g., insomnia or hypersomnia; increased or decreased appetite) are represented by a single item on PHQ-9. Since treatment decision-making might be influenced by whether a patient has insomnia or is sleeping too much, or has a r
