The Assignment b(Sources within 5 years)
Respond to your colleagues by comparing your assessment tool to theirs.(My assessment tool is the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test)
Colleagues Post
This week we have been tasked to thoroughly examine and discuss a variety of psychiatric assessment tools that have been utilized for patients with varying mental health disorders. This week I have been assigned to examine the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), second revision. According to Wheeler (2014), assessment tools in the mental health setting are incredibly important not only for the practitioner but the patient as well, as these tools can be used to establish rapport between client and provider, provide reassurance for the patient and identify a patient in distress and ensure their follow-up.
The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was created by a neuropsychiatry expert Aaron Beck and colleagues in 1972 as screening tool for patients that measures symptom severity of depression and can be self-administered and scored (Stark, 2019). In nearly every article identified for this research, this tool was described as one of the most widely used instruments used for depression severity. According to Georgi et al (2019), the authors of the scale stated the purpose of the scale is to measure intensity of depression, not differentiate between mental disorders. While this tool has been around for many years and has gained significant favor in the psychologic community, Yin et al (2000) performed a meta-analysis to verify reliability and discovered that only seven and a half percent of articles pertaining to the BDI demonstrated consistent reliability. Yin et al (2000) further explained that for patients with substance use disorders, the BDI reliability was even worse. Additionally, Georgi et al (2019) reported significant differences when the BDI was conducted in interview format versus self-reported and scored. However, newer studies have been completed showing reliability and validity of the BDI in other settings and situations. The BDI with two-factor somatic-affective and cognitive model demonstrated reliability and validity when administered in hospital setting for families of chronically ill children (Toledano-Toledano & Contreras-Valdez, 2018). Additionally, Toledano-Toledano and Contreras-Valdez (2018) explain that the BDI was less complicated than other depression severity measurement tools, making the BDI preferential among other tools. The BDI also has advantages over other screening and measurement tools because of its ease of use, inexpensive nature, and can be used to track symptom severity over time and gauge response to treatment modalities (Dalley et al, 2019). Clinicians can be confident that this tool is reliable but should use more than one tool if necessary, to ensure patient safety.
