Mult Scler. 2003 Aug;9(4):393-6
Benedict RH, Fishman I, McClellan MM, Bakshi R, Weinstock-Guttman B.
Department of Neurology, State University of New York (SUNY), Buffalo
School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo General Hospital, Buffalo,
New York 14203, USA
INTRODUCTION:
The Beck Depression Inventory-Fast Screen (BDI-FS) is a brief self-report inventory designed to evaluate depression in patients with medical illness.
As depressive disorder is especially prominent in multiple sclerosis (MS), a cost-effective procedure for identifying depressive disorder in MS is sorely needed.
The BDI-FS may be useful in this regard although, to date, its validity in MS patients has not been assessed.
METHODS:
Fifty-four consecutive MS patients were studied.
All underwent psychological assessment, which included the BDI-FS and other self-report measures of depression.
Forty-eight caregiver/informants were interviewed using the Neuorpsychiatric Inventory (NPI).
Retrospective chart reviews were conducted by a single trained research assistant, blind to the results of psychological testing and interviews, to determine if antidepressant medications had been prescribed.
RESULTS:
The BDI-FS was significantly correlated with other self-report measures of depression (P < 0.001) and with informant reported dysphoria (P < 0.01).
In addition, BDI-FS scores discriminated MS patients undergoing treatment for depressive disorder from untreated MS patients (P = 0.01).
CONCLUSION:
These data support the concurrent and discriminative validity of the BDI-FS in MS.
As the test is brief and not confounded with neurological symptoms, it is recommended for depression screening in this population.