Severity of depression. ≈ 5 minutes to complete.
BDI-II (Beck Depression Inventory — II) is a validated reference instrument used to assess severity of depression. It is most often used for severity assessment of depressive symptoms in adults. Typical administration time is ≈ 5 minutes.
Source / attribution: Beck AT et al., 1996 — © Pearson
If BDI-II doesn't fit your context, related instruments in psychiatry include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHQ-9 | Severity of depression | 9 | ≈ 3 minutes |
| GAD-7 | Severity of generalized anxiety | 7 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| ASA Physical Status | Pre-operative health status | 1 | — |
| Barthel Index | Functional independence in ADLs | 10 | — |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
| Child-Pugh | Severity of cirrhosis and prognosis | 5 | — |
| CURB-65 | 30-day mortality in community-acquired pneumonia | 5 | — |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | Level of consciousness after head injury | 3 | — |
BDI-II (Beck Depression Inventory — II) is a validated instrument that assesses severity of depression. Its primary clinical use is Severity assessment of depressive symptoms in adults. It takes about 5 minutes to complete, and the items are combined to produce a total score.
BDI-II typically takes about 5 minutes to administer. The exact duration varies a little depending on whether it is self-administered or completed with a clinician. Its brief format is part of what makes it practical for routine clinical use and for repeat administration when tracking change over time.
BDI-II is copyrighted by Pearson and requires purchase. We cannot host the items or scoring.
Yes — PHQ-9. Public-domain depression screening tool with comparable performance.
Beck AT, Steer RA, Brown GK. Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory-II. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation; 1996. This is the original publication for the BDI-II — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. BDI-II is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is Severity assessment of depressive symptoms in adults — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
BDI-II is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: