Depression—Take this quick self-test to see how you score.

THE BURNS DEPRESSION CHECKLIST

Instructions: The following is a list of symptoms that people sometimes have. Put the appropriate number

in the space to the right that best describes how much that symptom or problem has bothered you during the

past week.

1 – Somewhat

2 – Moderately

0 – Not At All

3 – A Lot

1. Sadness: Have you been feeling sad or down in the dumps?

2. Discouraged: Does the future look hopeless?

3. Low self-esteem: Do you feel worthless or think of yourself as a

failure?

4. Inferiority: Do you feel inadequate or inferior to others?

5. Guilt: Do you get self critical and blame yourself for everything?

6. Indecisiveness: Do you have trouble making up your mind about

things?

7. Irritability and frustrations: Have you been feeling resentful and

angry a good deal of the time?

8. Loss of interest in life: Have you lost interest in your career, your

hobbies, your family, or your friends?

9. Loss of motivation: Do you feel overwhelmed and have to push

yourself hard to do things?

10. Poor self-image: Do you think you’re looking old or unattractive?

11. Appetite changes: Have you lost your appetite? Or do you overeat

or binge compulsively?

12. Sleep changes: Do you suffer from insomnia and find it hard to get

a good nights sleep? Or are you excessively tired and sleeping too

much?

13. Loss of libido: Have you lost your interest in sex?

14. Hypochondriasis: Do you worry a great deal about your health?

15. Suicidal impulses: Do you have thoughts that life is not worth

living or thing that you might be better off dead?

Add up your total score for the 15 symptoms and record it here: ______________________________

After you have completed the test, add up your total score. It will be somewhere between 0 (if you

answered “not at all” for each of the 15 categories) and 45 (if you answered “a lot” for each one). Use this

key to interpret your score.

Total score Degree of Depression

___________________________

0 – 4 Minimal or no depression

5 – 10 Borderline depression

11 -20 Mild depression

21- 30 Moderate depression

31 – 45 Severe depression