BDI – Multiple Sclerosis Resource

Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI)

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is a 21-item, self-rated scale that evaluates key symptoms of depression including mood, pessimism, sense of failure, self-dissatisfaction, guilt, punishment, self-dislike, self-accusation, suicidal ideas, crying, irritability, social withdrawal, indecisiveness, body image change, work difficulty, insomnia, fatigability, loss of appetite, weight loss, somatic preoccupation, and loss of libido (Beck & Steer, 1993; Beck, Steer & Garbing, 1988).

Sadness

I do not feel sad.

I feel sad much of the time.

I am sad all the time.

I am so sad or unhappy that I cant stand it.

None

Pessimism

I am not discouraged about my future.

I feel more discouraged about my future than I used to be.

I do not expect things to work out for me.

I feel my future is hopeless and will only get worse.

None

Past Failure

I do not feel like a failure.

I have failed more than I should have.

As I look back, I see a lot of failures.

I feel I am a total failure as a person.

None

Loss of pleasure

I get as much pleasure as I ever did from the things I enjoy.

I do not enjoy things as much as I used to.

I get very little pleasure from the things I used to enjoy.

I can’t get any pleasure from the things I used to enjoy.

None

Guilty feelings

I don’t feel particularly guilty.

I feel guilty over many things I have done or should have done.

I feel quite guilty most of the time.

I feel guilty all of the time.

None

Punishment feelings

I don’t feel I am being punished.

I feel I may be punished.

I expect to be punished.

I feel I am being punished.

None

Self-dislike

I feel the same about myself as ever.

I have lost confidence in myself.

I am disappointed in myself.

I dislike myself.

None

Self-criticism

I don’t criticize or blame myself more than usual.

I am more critical of myself than I used to be.

I criticize myself for all of my faults.

I blame myself for everything bad that happens.

None

Suicidal thoughts

I don’t have any thoughts of killing myself.

I have thoughts of killing myself, but I would not carry them out.

I would like to kill myself.

I would kill myself if I had the chance.

None

Crying

I don’t cry anymore than I used to.

I cry more than I used to.

I cry over every little thing.

I feel like crying, but I can’t.

None

Agitation

I am no more restless or wound up than usual.

I am more restless or wound up than usual.

I am so restless or agitated that its hard to stay still.

I am so restless or agitated that I have to keep moving or doing something.

None

Loss of interest

I have not lost interest in other people or activities.

I am less interested in other people or things than before.

I have lost most of my interest in other people or things.

It’s hard to get interest in anything.

None

Indecisiveness

I make decisions about as well as ever.

I find it more difficult to make decisions than usual.

I have much greater difficulty in making decisions than I used to.

I have trouble in making any decisions.

None

Worthlessness

I do not feel I am worthless.

I don’t consider myself as worthwhile and useful as I used to be.

I feel more worthless as compared to other people.

I feel utterly worthless.

None

Loss of energy

I have as much energy as ever.

I have less energy than I used to have.

I don’t have enough energy to do very much.

I don’t have enough energy to do anything.

None

Changes in sleeping pattern

I can sleep as well as usual.

I don’t sleep as well as I used to.

I wake up 1-2 hours earlier than usual and find it hard to get back to sleep.

I wake up several hours earlier than I used to and cannot get back to sleep.

None

Irritability

I am no more irritable than usual.

I am more irritable than usual.

I am much more irritable than usual.

I am irritable all the time.

None

Changes in appetite

My appetite is no worse than usual.

My appetite is not as good as it used to be.

My appetite is much worse now.

I have no appetite at all anymore.

None

Concentration difficulty

I can concentrate as well as ever.

I can’t concentrate as well as usual

It’s hard to keep my mind on anything for very long

I find I can’t concentrate on anything.

None

Tiredness or fatigue

I am no more tired or fatigued than usual.

I get more tired or fatigued more easily than usual.

I am too tired or fatigued to do a lot of the things I used to do.

I am too tired or fatigued to do most of the things I used to do.

None

Loss of interest in sex

I have not noticed any recent changes in my interest in sex.

I am less interested in sex than I used to be.

I am much less interested in sex now.

I have lost interest in sex completely.

None

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