Specificity of the beck depression inventory and the confounding role of comorbid disorders in a clinical sample
Abstract
The current study explored the psychopathological specificity, both low and high end, of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the confounding role of comorbid disorders in a clinical sample. Current results provide some of the first clinical support for previous recommendations regarding the use of multiple assessment methods or a multiple-gate strategy to diagnose nosologic depression in clinical samples. More specifically, results confirm previously raised concerns about both low- and high-end specificity of the BDI, particularly when it is to used as the sole screening or diagnostic instrument in a clinical sample with anticipated high base rates for psychiatric disorders and the increased probability of comorbid disorders. Current results have a number of important interpretative implications both in terms of identifying appropriate samples for study as well as the significance and meaning of observed relationships. © 1995 Plenum Publishing Corporation.
Publication Title
Cognitive Therapy and Research
Recommended Citation
David Rudd, M., & Hasan Rajab, M. (1995). Specificity of the beck depression inventory and the confounding role of comorbid disorders in a clinical sample. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 19 (1), 51-68. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02229676
