Contents
Test: 21 questions to find out if you suffer from depression
Psychology
With the Beck depression inventory we will discover easily and quickly if we are mired in this mood disorder
There is sun, the temperature is warm, holidays are coming, reunions and, on the other hand, the depression in which millions of people are plunged do not understand the seasons; We continue to be submerged in a global pandemic and the ravages of Covid-19 continue to affect much of society.
But that depression does not always lead to seeking professional help, as it should. The psychologist Beatriz Gil Bóveda (@ psique.cambio) assures that at the moment she is having many cases in consultation of depression, anxiety because “the pandemic has left its mark on all of us and now is when the contained emotions are coming out”, so it is very important to know if you have this mood disorder.
To do this, the psychology expert shares Beck’s test on depression with which, in general terms, we will discover if we are having episodes of depression or, on the contrary, our emotional state is stable.
Several groups of statements appear in this questionnaire. Please read each one carefully, and then mark which of each group best describes how you have felt over the past week, including today. If within the same group there is more than one statement that you consider applicable to your case, mark it as well. Make sure you read all the statements.
1. Sadness
0 – I don’t feel sad
1- I feel sad.
2- I feel sad all the time and I can’t stop being sad.
3- I feel so sad or unhappy that I can’t bear it.
2. Pessimism
0 – I am not particularly discouraged about the future.
1 – I feel discouraged about the future.
2 – I feel like I don’t have to wait for anything.
3 – I feel that the future is hopeless and things will not get better.
3. Failure
0 – I don’t feel like a failure.
1 – I think I have failed more than most people.
2 – When I look back, I only see failure after failure.
3 – I feel like a totally failed person.
4. Loss of pleasure
0 – Things satisfy me as much as before.
1 – I don’t enjoy things as much as I used to.
2 – I no longer get authentic satisfaction from things.
3 – I am dissatisfied or bored with everything.
5. Feeling of guilt
0 – I don’t feel particularly guilty.
1 – I feel guilty on many occasions.
2 – I feel guilty most of the time.
3 – I constantly feel guilty.
6. Feeling of punishment
0 – I don’t think I’m being punished.
1 – I feel like I’m going to be punished.
2 – I hope to be punished.
3 – I feel like I’m being punished.
7. Disagreement with oneself
0 – I am not disappointed in myself.
1 – I am disappointed in myself.
2 – I am ashamed of myself.
3 – I hate myself.
8. Self-criticism
0 – I do not consider myself worse than anyone else.
1 – I criticize myself for my weaknesses or for my mistakes.
2 – I continually blame myself for my faults.
3 – I blame myself for everything bad that happens.
9. Suicidal thoughts or wishes
0 – I have no thoughts of suicide.
1 – Sometimes I think about committing suicide, but I would not commit it.
2 – I wish to commit suicide.
3 – I would commit suicide if I had the opportunity.
10. Crying
0 – I don’t cry more than I used to.
1 – Now I cry more than before.
2 – I cry continuously.
3 – Before I was able to cry, but now I can’t, even if I want to.
11 Irritability
0 – I am not more irritated than normal in me.
1 – I get annoyed or irritated more easily than before.
2 – I feel irritated continuously.
3 – I don’t get irritated at all by things that used to irritate me before.
12. Sociability
0 – I have not lost interest in others.
1 – I am less interested in others than before.
2 – I have lost most of my interest in others.
3 – I have lost all interest in others.
13 Decision making
0 – I make decisions more or less as I always have.
1 – I avoid making decisions more than before.
2 – Making decisions is much more difficult for me than before.
3 – It is impossible for me to make decisions.
14. Physical changes
0 – I don’t think I look worse than before.
1 – I’m afraid I now look older or unattractive.
2 – I think there have been permanent changes in my appearance that make me look unattractive.
3 – I think I look horrible.
15 Job
0 – I work the same as before.
1 – It takes me extra effort to start doing something.
2 – I have to force myself a lot to do something.
3 – I can’t do anything at all.
16. Fall asleep
0 – I sleep as well as ever.
1 – I don’t sleep as well as I used to.
2 – I wake up an hour or two earlier than usual and find it difficult to go back to sleep.
3 – I wake up several hours earlier than usual and cannot go back to sleep.
17. Tiredness or fatigue
0 – I don’t feel more tired than normal.
1 – I get tired more easily than before.
2 – I get tired when I do anything.
3 – I am too tired to do anything.
18. Changes in appetite
0 – My appetite has not decreased.
1 – I don’t have as good an appetite as before.
2 – Now I have much less appetite.
3 – I have completely lost my appetite.
19 Weightloss
0 – Lately I have lost little or no weight.
1 – I have lost more than 2 kilos.
2 – I have lost more than 4 kilos.
3 – I have lost more than 7 kilos.
20. Worry
0 – I am not worried about my health more than normal.
1 – I am concerned about physical problems such as aches, pains, upset stomach or constipation.
2 – I am worried about my physical problems and I find it difficult to think about anything else.
3 – I am so worried about my physical problems that I am unable to think of anything.
21. Loss of interest in sex
0 – I have not observed any recent change in my interest.
1 – I am less interested in sex than before.
2 – I am much less interested in sex.
3 – I have totally lost my interest in sex.
Guide for the interpretation of the inventory of the Beck depression:
Depression level score. Add the numbers in each of your answers.
1-10 points: These ups and downs are considered normal.
11-16 points: slight disturbance of mood.
17-20 : intermittent states of depression.
21-30 : moderate depression.
31-40 : severe depression.
+ 40: extreme depression.
* A persistent score of 17 or more indicates that you may need professional help.