Beck Depression Inventory-II
BDI-IIA 21-item self-report measure of depression severity over the past two weeks, aligned with DSM criteria; each item presents four statements of increasing severity (0-3).
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Reliability & validation
Subscales
Known limitations
Licensed/proprietary (permission and purchase required from Pearson). A severity index, not a diagnosis; somatic items may inflate scores in medically ill populations.
Original citation
Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., Brown, G. K. (1996). Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Psychological Corporation.
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Questions researchers ask
What does the BDI-II measure?
A 21-item self-report measure of depression severity over the past two weeks, aligned with DSM criteria; each item presents four statements of increasing severity (0-3).
How many items does the BDI-II have?
The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) has 21 items across 2 subscales: Cognitive, Somatic-Affective.
Is the BDI-II free to use?
The BDI-II is licensed. You must obtain permission from the copyright holder before using it in a study — Folio does not distribute its item wording without that permission.
Is the BDI-II reliable?
Validation studies report Cronbach's α of 0.92, test–retest reliability of 0.93. See the reliability section for the population studied and full statistics.
Who developed the BDI-II, and how do I cite it?
Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., Brown, G. K. (1996). Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Psychological Corporation.
Permission required
Importing BDI-IIinto a Surveyor study is disabled: Folio holds the instrument’s metadata, not a license to pass on its wording. The citation, scoring and reliability details on this page are free to use and cite.
Related scales
Library entry verified July 2026. Metadata is provided for reference; item wording is available inside Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing.