Beck's Depression Inventory

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was developed by American psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck in 1961. Today, the BDI is one of the most widely used psychometric tools for measuring depression severity and tracking how symptoms change over time.

Unlike his predecessors, Beck focused on the symptoms patients actually reported—what they described in their own words. This helped highlight aspects of depression that had largely been overlooked (for example, loss of interest in sex).

Beck also proposed that negative thoughts and self-beliefs can contribute to depression, rather than simply being a consequence of it.

The BDI marked a turning point in psychology—shifting how depression was both diagnosed and treated. Beck's work challenged the Freudian model of depression, pushing clinicians to focus on patients' own thoughts and feelings rather than unconscious drives. The BDI has formed the basis of many modern psychometric questionnaires for adults, children, and adolescents.

The BDI has gone through three versions: the original (1961),the revised BDI-1A (1978),and the current BDI-II (1996). This test uses the original 1961 version.

Source:

• Beck, A. T., Ward, C. H., Mendelson, M., Mock, J., & Erbaugh, J. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression.