Scoring the Beck Depression Inventory

Scoring the Beck Depression Inventory questionnaire that asks people to rate the intensity of symptoms and attitudes associated with depression. The BDI is often used to assess mood and is also useful for evaluating changes in depressive symptoms over time. It is one of the most widely used and cited instruments in the field of depression measurement. The current edition, BDI-II, was revised in 1996 to be consistent with the diagnostic criteria for depression contained in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV).

Aaron T. Beck, MD, Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, is the author or co-author of more than 300 articles and ten books on clinical psychology, particularly cognitive therapy for depressive illness. He is best known for his work on the Beck Depression Inventory, a tool that has become an international standard in measuring depression.

Understanding the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)

The BDI is an easy-to-administer tool that can be used at home or in a clinical setting. Each question has four possible responses ranging in intensity, and a score is determined by adding up the number of questions answered with each response level. In general, selecting the first option in a multiple choice question (zero) indicates that you do not have a particular symptom or attitude, and selecting the last option (three) means that you have serious trouble with that particular symptom or attitude. A BDI score of 63 or above typically indicates depression.