If you scored in this range, you probably took this test for fun. Your answers indicate that you are showing almost no signs of feeling depressed. Hopefully, your score also means that you're feeling quite good about yourself and the world around you. If, however things don't seem as right with your life as this low score suggests, depression may not be the best label for what you are experiencing. You may pick up on your problem area better by taking some of the test in the other chapters of The Mind Test. Keep in mind also that this test asks for how you are feeling right this minute. If today just happens to be a great day, you may find it helpful to take this test again at another time.
Scores in this range usually indicate a mild to moderate level of depression. You may feel "down" often enough to make life less enjoyable than it could be but not enough to have you generally feeling bad. This level of depression also suggests that there may be times when it's hard for you to find enough energy to make it through the day. This is a common problem for many of us, since almost everyone shows mild levels of depression at one time or another. that knowledge may not, however, make you feel any better. To help you understand your own level of depression, look over those items that produced your score. Think about how these symptoms relate to the way your life is going, and see if you can identify particular parts of your life that have you down. If you scored at the high end of this range, it's likely that there are important areas in your life causing you serious concern. Many of the professionally written self-help programs are designed to provide you with techniques for understanding and changing some of these problem areas. If you cannot identify the problem or if they seem overwhelming to you, you may gain the most benefit from professional help. It is likely that you are feeling bad enough to have to acknowledge your pain, but you probably also have enough energy to make treatment productive.
If you scored 15 or higher, you did not need this test to describe your current feelings as a possibly sever level of depression. You no doubt were well aware of how down you felt before you answered any of the questions. In fact, it's a positive sign that you were interested enough in self-understanding and had enough energy to take this test. If you scored fairly high, you probably see most things in your life as a waste of time or just too much trouble. And the future doesn't look very bright. Since you've taken this one important step toward understanding your problems, continue that self-help direction by getting in touch with your physician or a psychologist or other mental health professional; depression at this level does not often go away without help.
About the InventoryThe Beck Depression Inventory is an example of how tests can be developed directly from a psychiatrist's or psychologist's clinical experiences. During the early 1950's psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck became interested in measuring depression. As part of a combination research and clinical treatment program, Dr. Beck worked with five soldiers who had become psychotically depressed after having accidentally killed a comrade. His evaluation of their concerns and emotional problems convinced him of the need for more accurate ways to assess depression than were available at that time. As Dr. Beck continued his work with people being seen clinically for depression, he began developing specific test items to measure the kinds of feelings and behaviors that psychiatrists and psychologists observed during clinical interviews. You will notice as you look over the twenty-one items that each of them has a label that represents a symptom of depression. An important part of your own test score interpretation will be an examination of those symptoms for which you scored the highest. Dr. Beck's research has established how each symptom is related to overall levels of depression. Some - sadness, pessimism, and dissatisfaction, for example - have a high relationship to overall levels of depression. Others, such as irritability and weight loss, are meaningful but less related specifically to depression. Ones such as suicidal thoughts are correlated with depression levels but also extremely significant in their own right. |