The Assessment of the Severity of Depression - Case Study Example

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Introduction

Depression is a topic that has piqued my interest for quite some time. This issue is sensitive and demands to be addressed by professionals who can stir up conversation and raise awareness of this condition. The implications of this mood disorder are becoming more profound with each day. The majority of people with depression often have anxiety and suicidal thoughts. The feelings of sadness and hopelessness that depressed patients experience affect their quality of life. Therefore, I would like to be a specialist in this area and improve their lives through counseling and pharmacotherapeutic interventions. The critical step towards their treatment is the assessment of the severity of depression. Therefore, I would like to discuss some of the tests I have in mind and evaluate their effectiveness.

I will review three standardized tests. These tests include Children’s Depression Inventory 2 (CDI), the Beck Hopelessness Scale -second edition (BHS), and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI). These standardized tests have been extensively researched, and I want to assess how viable they will be. I will then decide which of the three tests I will use based on their psychometric validity.

Purpose for Testing, Content, and Skills, and Intended Test Takers

Children’s Depression Inventory 2 (CDI) is a test used to measure depressive symptoms in children. This test has been mentioned frequently in studies, but its dimensionality and subsequent validity have not been fully established. It has just recently started being used in clinical settings. This test has several items and involves children and their parents or, in some cases, teachers. Parents of the children taking part in the test must sign a written consent form to authorize the test to be done on their children.

Beck Hopelessness Scale is a valid measure of hopelessness and negative attitudes in various subgroups of the population. It is a useful tool in assessing cognitive thoughts among suicidal patients. This test has a self-report style that assesses patients' cognitive thoughts and links them to the risk of committing suicide. The test was developed from the Beck Depression Inventory and is relevant since it analyzes the issues surrounding depression, such as suicide; therefore, it is relevant. Moreover, it is meant for both adolescents and adults, but it has been more successful in determining suicide ideation in adults.

Beck Depression Inventory 2 is a revised version of the first BDI test. The test may be done in two ways, either as a self-report test or it can be administered by a professional. The updated version of BDI is more comprehensive since it has a variety of questions. This test is useful in identifying depressive symptoms in patients. It is also ideal for teenagers and adults.

Appropriateness of Test Content, Skills Tested and Content Coverage

The Child Depression Inventory was found to be effective n determining the depressive symptoms in children. CDI-2 was found to be appropriate when analyzing depressive symptoms in children compared to the first edition. The first edition was revised since it was too long for children. This flaw in the first edition resulted in inaccurate results. The second edition is an improved version with shorter questions which the children can respond to appropriately. Both young and older children can handle the difficulty of the questions. Furthermore, this test may be useful in the assessment of other conditions such as hypersomnia.

Beck Depression Inventory 2 is popular in the clinical setting. This popularity is due to its effectiveness in determining symptoms of depression in both adolescents and adults. The revised test is more sensitive and detailed, which provides for the collection of accurate information regarding the patient’s mental state. This test was amended to ensure considerations were made on its psychometric validity.

Beck Hopelessness Scale is a useful tool in evaluating feelings of hopelessness. The fact that it can link cognitive thoughts of a person to the risk of suicide makes it very important in lowering suicide rates among adolescents and adults. However, the test has been more successful in adults. Despite the test being important in evaluating the severity of depression, the test is inconclusive since, even after the treatment of depression, the patient may experience feelings of hopelessness. This is a shortcoming of this test since teenagers who take this test may find it difficult to discern whether their depression has been fully resolved.

Materials Provided by Test Developers

In a study conducted by Johan Ahlen and Ata Ghaderi (2016), the dimensionality, validity, and the gender differences that may be observed when a CDI test is performed was evaluated. The research involved a school-based sample where they used 17 schools in Stockholm. The children were asked to fill in questionnaires to provide the data required for the study. The research established the validity of the test in determining depressive symptoms in children. Furthermore, it also explained the gender differences in depression. Adolescent females were found to be more likely to have depression as compared to teenage boys.

There was a study conducted in Italy to establish the validity of the BHS test across different cultures. To overcome the language barrier and to maintain the accuracy of the BHS, the test was translated from English to Italian, then back to English and then to Italian. This repeated translation was done to prevent errors and misinterpretation. The study consisted of both boys and girls and was carried out in the city of Rome. Upon completion of the study, the findings indicated that there might be variations in the test if a translation is done. Therefore, caution must be exercised when translating the test in non-English speaking countries. However, the BHS was found to be a useful tool in assessing the severity of depression.

A study conducted on Caucasian adolescents sought to determine the validity of the Beck Depression Inventory-2. This study was conducted by Osman, Kooper, Gutierrez, and Bagge (2004) on psychiatric inpatients. The research completed the three different studies on BD1-2 to ensure there is no bias. The findings of the research indicated that this test was reliable in assessing the severity of depression. Furthermore, it also deduced that factors such as gender do not affect the efficiency of this test.

Test-User Knowledge, Skills, and Training

The CDI test is a level B in accordance to test user qualification. It consists of three tests that go hand in hand. Moreover, the test can be complete within 5-15 minutes, depending on the patient's speed and language proficiency. The test can also be short or long, depending on the patient's age. Younger children are given shorter tests while older children take the lengthy test. Upon completion, the test is submitted to the online to publisher source. However, handwritten scoring can also be done. The CDI scale requires the information of more than one person for effective scoring.

The BHS test is also a level B. It takes 5-10 minutes to complete it. It can either be given by a professional or self-administered. It can be done online and then submitted to the reporting system for scoring. Similarly, the test can be taken by hand and graded by hand. Therefore, the test requires the test takers to be literate and have computer skills. The test can also be given in other languages such as Spanish upon request by the patient. The test, however, does not have different options for viewing the scoring report.

The BDI-2 test takes the least time to complete. It requires five minutes or less, depending on the speed of the test taker. The test is ideal for teenagers and adults. BDI -2 provides different viewing of the various score types, that is, interpretative scoring and progress report. It can be done either by hand if the patient is not conversant with computer use or online.

Comparisons and Contrasts of the Three Tests

According to my research, BDI-2 and CDC have the highest validity. They are the most used in clinical settings. This phenomenon may due to the extensive research done on these tests. These tests are convenient since they can be self-administered. However, this strategy may result in inaccurate results since patients can decide to lie on the questionnaires given. CDI is the exception to this rule since it depends on external sources for an accurate description of the patient's depressive symptoms. Therefore, the professional administration of these standardized tests is the best approach.

I have decided to employ the use of BDI for the measurement of the severity of depression in psychiatric patients. This test is credible since it is backed up by years of research. Moreover, it has been used over the years and still reports a higher success rate. Besides, it can be self-administered; therefore, it may help patients monitor their mental health status outside a clinical setting. Furthermore, the test is ideal and accessible to a relatively large age bracket.