Baum Test as an Adjunctive Monitoring Tool in a Case of Major Depressive Disorder With Prominent Anhedonia.
- 1Neuropsychiatry, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, JPN.
Abstract
Anhedonia is a core symptom of major depressive disorder associated with poor prognosis and treatment resistance. Assessment often relies on subjective self-reports and clinician-rated scales, and discrepancies between these evaluations can complicate clinical interpretations. The Baum test, a projective tree-drawing test, has recently been examined using quantitative indices such as the number of occupied areas on a page, to allow a more objective assessment. Here, we report the case of a 58-year-old woman with major depressive disorder characterized by prominent anhedonia. Upon admission, evaluations demonstrated a marked discrepancy between the patient's self-rated depression score, which indicated moderate to severe symptoms, and the clinician-rated scale, which suggested only mild depression. During electroconvulsive therapy, the Baum test was repeatedly administered, and the number of occupied areas appeared to change in parallel with clinical improvement and subsequent symptom fluctuations. These findings suggest that the quantitative indices of the Baum test may reflect changes in motivational or behavioral engagement that are not fully captured by conventional rating scales. These findings serve as a hypothesis-generating observation suggesting that the Baum test may serve as a simple, noninvasive adjunctive tool for longitudinal symptom monitoring, though its interpretation should consider cognitive influences and future studies are needed to establish its diagnostic validity.
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BibTeX
@article{maekubo2026baum,
title = {{Baum Test as an Adjunctive Monitoring Tool in a Case of Major Depressive Disorder With Prominent Anhedonia.}},
author = {Kunio Maekubo and Jumpei Maruta},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.116805},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42927380},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Baum Test as an Adjunctive Monitoring Tool in a Case of Major Depressive Disorder With Prominent Anhedonia.
AU - Kunio Maekubo
AU - Jumpei Maruta
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.116805
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42927380
AB - Anhedonia is a core symptom of major depressive disorder associated with poor prognosis and treatment resistance. Assessment often relies on subjective self-reports and clinician-rated scales, and discrepancies between these evaluations can complicate clinical interpretations. The Baum test, a projective tree-drawing test, has recently been examined using quantitative indices such as the number of occupied areas on a page, to allow a more objective assessment. Here, we report the case of a 58-year-old woman with major depressive disorder characterized by prominent anhedonia. Upon admission, evaluations demonstrated a marked discrepancy between the patient's self-rated depression score, which indicated moderate to severe symptoms, and the clinician-rated scale, which suggested only mild depression. During electroconvulsive therapy, the Baum test was repeatedly administered, and the number of occupied areas appeared to change in parallel with clinical improvement and subsequent symptom fluctuations. These findings suggest that the quantitative indices of the Baum test may reflect changes in motivational or behavioral engagement that are not fully captured by conventional rating scales. These findings serve as a hypothesis-generating observation suggesting that the Baum test may serve as a simple, noninvasive adjunctive tool for longitudinal symptom monitoring, though its interpretation should consider cognitive influences and future studies are needed to establish its diagnostic validity.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -