[Page 421]The Beck Scales are brief tests used to measure the severity of psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation in clinical populations and sometimes to screen for such issues in general populations. The scales were created by the American psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck, his daughter Judith Beck, a psychologist, and several of their colleagues. The Beck Scales were innovative because they marked a reconceptualization of depression, anxiety, and other mental health symptoms as related to negative thoughts and cognitive processes rather than to Freudian psychodynamic forces.

The Beck Scales include the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS). The Beck Scales have been adapted for children and ...