“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.  What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.”  Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854

      Diagnosing Depression by using scientific tools avoids casual opinions, personal biases, and unexamined impressions.  Of the many available measurement scales, I have chosen one that is self-administered and has withstood the tests of time and science.  The Beck Depression Inventory is a self-rating 21-question scale that quantitates Depression.  After individuals select the appropriate answers based on their last week, Depression score is totaled as:
0-10 = None; 11-18 = Mild; 19-25 = Moderate.; 26-63 = Severe.

         A. I don’t feel sad = 0;
             I feel sad = 1;
             I am sad always and can’t stop = 2;
             I am so sad and unhappy that I can’t stand it = 3.

         B. I’m not discouraged about the future = 0;
             I’m discouraged about the future = 1;
             I feel I have nothing to look forward to = 2;
             I feel that the future is hopeless and that things cannot improve = 3.

         C. I do not feel like a failure = 0;
             I feel I have failed more than average = 1;
             All I can see looking back at my life are lots of failures = 2;
             I feel I am a complete failure = 3.

         D. I get as much satisfaction out of things as I used to = 0;
             I don’t enjoy things as I used to = 1;
             I don’t get real satisfaction out of anything = 2;
             I am dissatisfied or bored with everything = 3.

         E. I don’t feel guilty = 0;
             I feel guilty part of the time = 1;
             I feel guilty most of the time = 2;
             I feel guilty all the time = 3.

         F. I don’t feel I’m being punished = 0;
             I feel I may be punished = 1;
             I expect to be punished = 2;
             I feel I’m being punished = 3.

         G. I don’t feel disappointed in myself = 0;
              I am disappointed in myself = 1;
              I’m disgusted with myself = 2;
              I hate myself = 3.

         H. I don’t feel I’m worse than anybody else = 0;
             I’m critical of myself for my weaknesses and mistakes = 1;
             I blame myself all the time for my faults = 2;
             I blame myself for everything bad that happens = 3.

         I. I don’t have any thoughts of killing myself = 0.
             I have thoughts of killing myself but I won’t = 1;
             I would like to kill myself = 2;
             I would kill myself if I had the chance = 3.

         J. I don’t cry anymore than usual = 0.
             I cry more than usual to = 1;
             I cry all the time now = 2;
             I used to be able to cry but now I can’t cry even though I want to = 3.

         K. I’m no more irritated than usual = 0;
             I get annoyed or irritated more than usual = 1;
             I feel irritated all the time = 2;
             I don’t get irritated anymore by things that used to irritate me = 3.

         L. I have not lost interest in others = 0;
             I am less interested in others than usual = 1;
             I have lost most of my interest in others = 2;
             I have lost all of my interest in others = 3.

         M. I make decisions as usual = 0.
              I put off making decisions more than usual = 1;
              I have more difficulty making decisions than usual = 2
              I can’t make decisions at all anymore = 3.

         N. I don’t feel I look any worse than I used to = 0.
             I’m worried that I’m looking old or unattractive = 1;
             I feel that there are permanent changes in my appearance
                   that make me look unattractive = 2;
             I believe that I look ugly = 3.

         O. I can work about as well as before = 0;
             It takes an extra effort to get started at doing something = 1;
             I have to push myself very hard to do anything = 2;
             I can’t do any work at all = 3.

         P. I can sleep as well as usual = 0;
            I don’t sleep as well as usual = 1;
            I wake up 1-2 hours earlier and find it harder to go back to sleep = 2;
            I wake up several hours earlier than usual and can’t get back to sleep = 3.

         Q. I don’t get more tired than usual = 0;
             I now get tired easier than usual = 1;
             I get tired from doing almost anything = 2;
             I’m too tired to do anything = 3.

         R. My appetite is not worse than usual = 0;
             My appetite is not as good as it used to be = 1;
             My appetite is much worse now = 2;
             I have no appetite at all anymore = 3.

         S. I haven’t lost much weight lately = 0;
             I have lost more than 5 pounds = 1;
             I have lost more than 10 pounds = 2;
             I have lost more than 15 pounds = 3.
             (I am not trying to loose weight)

         T. I am no more worried about my health than usual = 0;
             I am worried about physical problems = 1;
             I’m very worried about physical problems and it’s hard to think
                   of anything else = 2;
             I’m so worried about physical problems that I cannot think
                   of anything else = 3.

         U. I haven’t noticed any recent changes in my interest in sex = 0;
             I am less interested in sex than usual = 1;
             I am not interested in sex = 2;
             The idea of sex is repulsive to me = 3.

What is your score?