Beck Depression Inventory

Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is a psychometric test commonly used to measure the severity of depression. It was developed by the American psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck in 1961 and has been revised multiple times, with the most recent version being the BDI-II, published in 1996.

ASMR BDI graph

Overview[edit | edit source]

The Beck Depression Inventory is a 21-item, self-report rating inventory that measures characteristic attitudes and symptoms of depression. Each item is a list of four statements arranged in increasing severity about a particular symptom of depression. The BDI takes approximately 10 minutes to complete, although clients require a fifth-sixth grade reading level to adequately understand the questions.

Scoring[edit | edit source]

The BDI is scored by summing the ratings for the 21 items. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale ranging from 0 to 3. The maximum total score is 63. Higher total scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms. Scores ranging from 0-13 represents minimal range, 14-19 is mild, 20-28 is moderate, and 29-63 is severe.

Validity and reliability[edit | edit source]

The BDI has been extensively tested for content validity, concurrent validity, and construct validity. It has a high internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha reported in the literature to range from .73 to .92, and a high test-retest reliability.

Use in research and clinical practice[edit | edit source]

The BDI is widely used as an assessment tool by health care professionals and researchers in a variety of settings. It has been used in numerous research studies. The BDI is used by clinicians to assess the severity of depression in patients in a mental health care setting.