The remission from depression questionnaire as an outcome measure in the treatment of depression

Background: The Remission from Depression Questionnaire (RDQ) assesses multiple domains considered by depressed patients to be relevant to the construct of remission. The present study is the first to examine the validity of the RDQ as an outcome measure.

Methods: One hundred fifty-three depressed patients who presented for treatment, or who were in ongoing treatment and had their medication changed, were evaluated at baseline and at 4-month follow-up. In addition to the RDQ, the patients completed the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), and they were rated on 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD).

Results: The patients showed significant levels of improvement from baseline to 4 months on each scale. The effect size of the RDQ total score was similar to the effect sizes of the HAMD and QIDS. Both the RDQ and QIDS were significantly associated with patients' self-reported remission status. However, the RDQ remained significantly associated with remission status after controlling for QIDS scores, whereas the QIDS was not associated with remission status after controlling for RDQ scores.

Discussion: The RDQ is as sensitive to change as purely symptom-based scales such as the QIDS and HAMD. Moreover, the RDQ accounts for variation in patients' self-perceived remission status after controlling for QIDS scores, but the reverse was not true. The RDQ allows clinicians and researchers to gain a broader perspective of depressed patients' status than purely symptom measures, and is more consistent with a biopsychosocial approach toward the treatment of depression.