Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a brief, validated instrument that screens for both depression and anxiety (Bjelland et al., 2002). It is a fourteen item self-assessment scale, with seven items related to anxiety and seven to depression. Originally developed by Zigmond and Snaith (1983), it has been found to be a reliable instrument for detecting states of depression and anxiety in the setting of a medical outpatient clinic.