INTRODUCTION: According to Kessler et al. (1994), approximately 17% of people are likely to suffer from some form of depression at some point in their lives. Another figure is: around 2.6 million people in England suffered from depression in 2006 (Thomas and Morris. 2003). Brown (2001) even suggests that by 2020, depression will become the second most common illness. All these alarming figures raise the question of what exactly depression is and how to assess and treat it. In the DSM-IV, depression is defined as having five or more of the following symptoms over a two-week period representing a change in previous functioning: (1) significant weight loss/gain (2) insomnia/hypersomnia ( 3) agitation or psychomotor retardation (4) fatigue/loss of energy (5) feelings of worthlessness and/or guilt (6) decreased ability to concentrate/indecision (7) suicidal ideation Criteria must include either depressed mood , or a loss of pleasure. The next study will focus on the assessment of depression. In particular, we will examine the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). A standardized assessment system is important for both therapist and patient. With a system that clinicians have agreed upon, it is much simpler to align assessments and treatments. It ensures that when three different clinicians interview a patient, they reach similar conclusions for the final assessment. Our goal is to determine the reliability of MADRS. The hypothesis will be: If the MADRS is reliable, we would expect the means of the groups of participants who rate the patient to be similar. METHOD:Participants:The participants in this study were 37 first-year psychology students assigned in two groups A (n= 19) a...... middle of paper......the patient's judgment too. Despite these facts, the symptom patterns show a similar pattern. Group A appears to agree on the majority of symptoms when looking at mode. All items, except reported sadness and inner tension, have a mode of 4. The same applies to group B, although here items that do not follow the pattern of four are the inner tension and reduced appetite. Inner tension is perceived in the same way by both groups. Our hypothesis at the beginning can be supported. The results do not match exactly but are quite similar, especially when considering the groups' non-experience of depression and its assessment. In order to obtain a more precise result, future studies could introduce an evaluation model. An experienced clinician could pre-assess another patient and explain their arguments as to why they assessed the way they did..