The Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS) has been used for many years by medical professionals to evaluate anxiety symptoms. Finding the appropriate treatment requires taking this crucial step.
Physicians and therapists utilise the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS), a somatic and psychic subscale. In 1959, a physician named Max Hamilton invented it. It's said to help determine a person's anxiety level.
This scale can be used by your physician or therapist to identify your anxiety and create a personalised treatment plan. Although it is free to use, only experts should do it.
Since the HAS has drawn criticism for failing to differentiate between anxiety and depression, your physician might suggest an alternative assessment method if needed.
What does the Hamilton Anxiety Scale measure?
The HAS utilises 14 questions to gauge your potential level of anxiety about a variety of objects. These have to do with:
- sleep
- concentration and memory
- body movements
- sensory systems
- symptoms about your digestive, genitourinary, nervous, or cardiac systems
- behavior
- mood
- tension
- fears
You will rank the 14 things using the HAS on a scale of 0 to 4. These figures indicate:
- 0 = not present
- 1 = mildly present
- 2 = moderately present
- 3 = present
- 4 = severely present
Your total score will be calculated by summing the results of each survey item once you have finished the scale. Your overall score gives you an idea of the level of anxiety you experience. There is a maximum score of 56 points.
Depending on your score, anxiety can fall into multiple categories:
- A score of 17 or lower denotes moderate anxiety.
- Mild to severe anxiety is indicated by scores of 18 to 24.
- Moderate to severe anxiety is indicated by scores of 25 to 30.
- Scores higher than 30 denote extremely severe anxiety.
It takes 10 to 20 minutes to complete, and people of all ages—including young ones—can use this poll.
How does the Hamilton Anxiety Scale help your doctor or therapist?
The findings of the HAS can be used by your therapist or doctor to gauge how severe your anxiety is. It can help with your diagnosis, but in the course of the evaluation, they might also employ other instruments.
HAS is an objective metric that you may keep on file, share with other healthcare professionals, and refer to down the road.
Along with additional diagnostic methods, such as discussing your symptoms and any situations that fall outside of the scale, your doctor or therapist will use the HAS.
Your doctor or therapist will utilise clinical judgement in conjunction with information gathered from the HAS and other intake techniques to construct a treatment strategy.
The Hamilton Anxiety Scale: Reliability and validity
The Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS) has been in use for over 60 years and is still regarded as a legitimate and reliable way to measure anxiety.
Interrater reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity have all been observed throughout its development, according to research published in the journal Psychiatry Research.
Research has revealed several difficulties regarding the scale's inability to differentiate between depression and anxiety. Because of this limitation, your doctor or therapist may opt to use different scales and measurements to assess anxiety.
What does the Hamilton Anxiety Scale cost?
The HAS is in the public domain and is available for free use. Additionally, it has been translated into Cantonese, French, and Spanish, among other languages.
The HAS will be administered by a physician or other mental health specialist, thus your consultation with them will be charged for. Your insurance coverage and the doctor you see will determine how much the appointment costs you.
On websites run by governments and health organisations, such as these, you might be able to locate free or inexpensive resources for anxiety:
- Administration of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
- The American Association for Anxiety and Depression
- Anxiety UK
Keep learning about anxiety
Numerous free resources are available on Tvsepahale as well, including the following themes connected to anxiety:
- mental health resource hub
- locating a therapist who can accommodate your needs
- top online therapy picks
- therapy for all budgets
Takeaway
The HAS may be used by your therapist or doctor to assess the intensity of your symptoms. Although this is a tried-and-true method of measuring anxiety, it's not the only approach to identify and comprehend your worry.
The HAS may be used by your doctor in conjunction with other diagnostic methods, such as a personal interview, to identify the causes of your anxiety symptoms and possible courses of treatment.
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