Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) Hamilton, 1960. The HAM-D is a 17-item clinician-report measure assessing depressive symptoms in adults. The HAM-D can be used as a screening tool (Hamilton, 1960). There is disagreement in the literature regarding the HAM-D’s sensitivity to change and thus its appropriateness as a treatment monitoring tool. The HAM-D has been used in several studies with adolescents (e.g. Keller et al., 2001), but a separate adolescent version does not exist. Sample items include, “Depr e ssed mood” and “Feelings of guilt.” Eight symptoms are scored by severity on a zero to four scale, and eight symptoms are scored by intensity on a zero to two scale. The HAM-D is designed to be administered in 12 minutes and a structured interview guide can assist in scoring. The HAM-D demonstrates good internal consistency (α = .83), and adequate test-retest reliability over a period of four days ( r = .81). It demonstrates good to excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC