The Beck Depression Inventory System

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A depression test can be beneficial if you are experiencing depression symptoms and wonder if you might have a form of clinical depression. There are a lot of depression tests online. However, when taking one it is imperative to ensure that it is legitimate and reliable. As you can imagine, there are many "rogue" tests out there that were not professionally developed. In which case, there are only a few tests online that are legitimate and worth your consideration so proceed with caution when taking these tests. In most cases, the tests are designed to test for a specific type of depression such as Geriatric depression, Bipolar Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder

Personally, in my practice, I use the Beck's Depression Inventory. It is an "oldie but goody" and was very well developed and is a great diagnostic tool to determine if my clients are depressed and, if they are, how serious it might be. The Beck Depression Inventory is protected by a copyright so you will not find it legally available on the web. Rather, only mental health professionals can administer and score the test. This is important because you don't want to be misdiagnosed. …show more content…

The key to a legitimate test is to ensure that it meets the "Standards for Education and Psychological Testing". This way you are ensured that the test is professionally developed, statistically relevant and the results - reliable. It would not be a good thing to have a depression test indicate you are depressed when you are not or vice versa - that you are not depressed when in fact you really are. In the latter case, a misperception can lead to the person suffering needlessly and never getting the help that they

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