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What is the Hamilton Anxiety Scale?
The Hamilton Anxiety Scale is a way to measure anxiety in individuals. It is an anxiety self test which gives you a score on an anxiety scale.
There are other anxiety tests available, but the HAMA measures 14 categories of symptoms in this anxiety disorder quiz. (Skip to the test) Typically, doctors will use the answers to 14 questions in the scale to determine how severe a patient's anxiety is at the moment. This can be useful when determining whether medication is needed, but it is more useful when trying to determine if particular medications are really working to relieve anxiety.Typically, doctors will ask questions and observe a patient's physical demeanor to determine a numeral answer for all 14 questions. Each question reflects a symptom of anxiety and physical as well as mental symptoms are represented. The answers range from 0 which signifies a complete lack of that symptom to 4, which indicates a very severe show of anxiety with that symptom. For example, one question featured on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale asks about fears. If a patient is suffering from intense fears of any variety then a 4 will likely be selected. If there are no fears at all, then a 0 will be selected. If there are some fears but they aren't that severe, a number in between will be estimated. After the 14 answers are selected the Hamilton Anxiety Scale will deliver a severity for anxiety, ranging from mild to severe. When this is done prior to starting anxiety medications and then repeated afterward, doctors can determine if the medications are working or not. Today you can find electronic versions of the Hamilton Anxiety Scale online. This is a useful tool if you want to see how severe your own anxiety may be. It is a very fast, easy test to take and the questions cover every type of anxiety that you could be experiencing. It may help you determine whether you need to seek professional help for your anxiety or not.That said, there are some downsides to using this scale to test yourself. It can be very difficult at times to objectively judge the severity of your symptoms, exactly if you are fearful of a negative outcome. It can be helpful to have someone else help you take the test so they can tell you what outward symptoms of anxiety they see in you. Another danger of taking the test on your own is that you don't know how doctors typically come to the exact scoring on each of the questions. There may be more to each symptom than you realize or you could be experiencing some symptoms that you are not aware of. There is also the chance that you do not realize some of the things you suffer from in daily life are connected to anxiety. That could cause you to give a 0 when you do in fact have some level of the symptom. All that said, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale remains a great way to determine how anxious you are at any given moment. In order to get the most accurate results you need to take your time and honestly assess the presence of each symptom in your life. Even if you don't directly attribute the symptom to anxiety, some element of it probably is anxiety-induced. Ready? The Hamilton Anxiety Scale Read the symptom in the left column. Rate it on a scale of 0-4 in the right column. 0 - Not at all 1 - Mild 2 - Moderate 3 - Severe 4 - Very Severe
| Feeling | Rating | | 1. Anxious mood Worries, anticipation of the worst, fearful anticipation, irritability. | | | 2. Tension Feelings of tension, fatigability, startle response, moved to tears easily, trembling, feelings of restlessness, inability to relax. | | | 3. Fears Of dark, of strangers, of being left alone, of animals, of traffic, of crowds. | | | 4. Insomnia Difficulty in falling asleep, broken sleep, unsatisfying sleep and fatigue on waking, dreams, nightmares, night terrors. | | | 5. Intellectual Difficulty in concentration, poor memory. | | | 6. Depressed Mood Loss of interest, lack of pleasure in hobbies, depression, early waking, mood swings. | | | 7. Physical/Muscular Pains and aches, twitching, stiffness, myoclonic jerks, grinding of teeth, unsteady voice, increased muscular tone. | | | 8. Senses Tinnitus, blurring of vision, hot and cold flushes, feelings of weakness, pricking sensation. | | | 9. Cardiovascular Tachycardia, palpitations, pain in chest, throbbing of vessels, fainting feelings, 'skipping' a beat. | | | 10. Respiratory Pressure or constriction in chest, choking feelings, sighing, dyspnea. | | | 11. Digestive Difficulty in swallowing, wind abdominal pain, burning sensations, abdominal fullness, nausea, vomiting, borborygmi, looseness of bowels, loss of weight, constipation. | | | 12. Genitourinary Frequency of micturition, urgency of micturition, amenorrhea, menorrhagia, development of frigidity, premature ejaculation, loss of libido, impotence. | | | 13. Autonomic symptoms Dry mouth, flushing, pallor, tendency to sweat, giddiness, tension headache, raising of hair. | | | 14. Behavior at interview Fidgeting, restlessness or pacing, tremor of hands, furrowed brow, strained face, sighing or rapid respiration, facial pallor, swallowing, etc. | | Total | |
Score: Mild Anxiety: 18+ Moderate Anxiety: 25+ Severe Anxiety: 30+
If you believe your results from the Hamilton Anxiety Scale indicate that you are suffering from severe anxiety, it is important to seek out the opinion of a professional. You can take a print out of your answers to the questions to help the professional diagnose you officially. Mild and Moderate anxiety can also be symptoms of sensitivity, which is a sign of psychic ability. I found that learning how to control my psychic energy and using the ability for good things helped my anxiety a lot.
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