Measuring melancholy: A critique of the Beck Depression Inventory and its use in mental health nursing

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is one of the most commonly used depression measurement instruments. Mental health nurses often utilize the BDI to assess the level of depression in clients, and to monitor the effectiveness of treatments such as antidepressants and electroconvulsive therapy. Desp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of mental health nursing Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 108 - 115
Main Author Hagen, Brad
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Melbourne, Australia Blackwell Publishing Asia 01.04.2007
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects
Antidepressant drugs
Antidepressants
Beck Depression Inventory
Clinical nursing
Clinical research
Depression
Depressive Disorder - diagnosis
Electroconvulsive therapy
Humans
Measurement
Mental depression
Mental health
Nursing
Professional practice
Psychiatric nurses
Psychiatric nursing
Psychiatric Nursing - methods
Psychiatric-mental health nursing
psychometrics
Sadness
Severity of Illness Index
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is one of the most commonly used depression measurement instruments. Mental health nurses often utilize the BDI to assess the level of depression in clients, and to monitor the effectiveness of treatments such as antidepressants and electroconvulsive therapy. Despite the widespread use of the BDI in both clinical practice and research, there is surprisingly little nursing literature critically examining the BDI or its use by mental health nurses. This paper reviews the origins, purpose, and format of the BDI, discusses some of the strengths and limitations of the BDI, and concludes with some implications for mental health nursing.
Bibliography:ark:/67375/WNG-7WH99CP4-D
istex:B23FAC7365EDD173A7C050BB51084D51385D178A
ArticleID:INM453
Brad Hagen, RN, PhD.
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
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ISSN:1445-8330
1447-0349
DOI:10.1111/j.1447-0349.2007.00453.x