Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is a self-report inventory that measures symptoms of depression and is used to identify depression in a client.

Developed in the 1960s by Aaron Beck, the BDI consists of 21 multiple choice questions that are related to common thoughts and behavior patterns of depressed individuals. It is one of the most widely used psychometric self-report inventories used to this day. The BDI addresses both the affective (feeling sad) and physical (loss of appetite) symptoms of depression.

Like most self-report measures, the BDI results can be affected by the client/patient minimizing or exaggerating symptoms so this is typically not used as an official diagnosis tool rather than as a means to explore if an individual may be experiencing depressive symptoms and need further treatment. It can also be used periodically through treatment to measure progress (or lack thereof).