Relationship between self-report and clinician-rated impairment in depressed outpatients.

This study examined the potential of using the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale as a valid measure of patient-reported status and predictor of three-month outcomes for 59 patients seeking outpatient treatment for depression. A moderate relationship between the GAF and patient report at baseline and follow-up suggests it may be clinically useful for routine monitoring of depressed patients.