Beck Inventory: Over what score is depression considered severe?

• A. Over 30 is severe
• B. 20-30 is severe
• C. 10-19 is severe
• D. 0-9 is severe

Answer: (A)

Understanding how the Beck Depression Inventory scores map to severity is key. The BDI-II sums 21 items to a total from 0 to 63, with higher totals signaling greater depressive severity. In this exam context, severe depression is defined as a score over 30, which places the patient in the high-severity range and typically indicates substantial symptom burden. Scores in the lower ranges (0–9 or 10–19) reflect minimal to mild symptoms, and 20–30 covers moderate to near-severe levels but does not meet the threshold used here for “severe.” So, the reason the threshold of over 30 is the best answer is that it identifies the high end of the spectrum that this item classes as severe. (Note: some sources describe severe as 29–63; exam conventions can vary, but this item uses over 30.)