Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOrigins and DevelopmentThe Inventory and Its Limitations

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Origins and Development

The Inventory and Its Limitations

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Serious worried colleagues with laptop on desk sitting in office

In developing the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the goal was to create a tool that could differentiate between anxiety and depression, two conditions that often appear together—or, in medical jargon, are co-morbid. While the BAI is copyrighted, versions of the document are easily accessible online. There is also research confirming its validity that has spanned more than thirty years.

Jenna DiLossi, PsyD LPC, co-founder of the Center for Hope and Health and clinical presenter for non-profit Minding Your Mind, said that, in her practice, she regularly uses both the anxiety anddepression screeners.

I tend to find that most folks, even if they don’t meet clinical criteria for a diagnosis…under trying times, tend to fall as a more anxious person or more depressive person. And I think these measures can help get a gauge on where people’s baselines are.—JENNA DILOSSI, PSYD, LPC

I tend to find that most folks, even if they don’t meet clinical criteria for a diagnosis…under trying times, tend to fall as a more anxious person or more depressive person. And I think these measures can help get a gauge on where people’s baselines are.

—JENNA DILOSSI, PSYD, LPC

The BAI consists of 21 questions where you are meant to list, on a scale from 0-3, how much different symptoms have affected you in the last week. Zero is not at all, Three is a lot. Questions include physical symptoms, like dizziness and indigestion, as well as broader ranging symptoms like a very present fear of death or an inability to relax.

While the scoring parameters have shifted over time, the higher the number, the more anxious you are assumed to be. From there, practitioners can sort you into mild, moderate, or severe anxiety.

The inventory does come with its own drawbacks. Researchers have noted that a lot of the symptoms listed allow a practitioner to hone in on physical symptoms more than they do cognitive ones.That’s something that DiLossi sees in her own practice.

It does briefly assess for fear of the worst case scenario, but I don’t think this particular measure digs into enough of the more cognitive side of anxiety. A lot of people with anxiety might not really identify with some of these physiological symptoms.—JENNA DILOSSI, PSYD, LPC

It does briefly assess for fear of the worst case scenario, but I don’t think this particular measure digs into enough of the more cognitive side of anxiety. A lot of people with anxiety might not really identify with some of these physiological symptoms.

“A person who, for example, can’t make decisions, struggles with decisions, laments over the best possible option. Or, people who arepeople pleasersand can’t really tolerate if someone doesn’t like them, a lot of that is still rooted in anxiety. And a measure like this doesn’t quite capture that.”

Self Diagnosis and Interpretation

Her advice is to seek out supports from professionals and to “take it with a grain of salt”  if the results feel as if they are entirely confirming or denying that you’re anxious.

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fydrich et al.Reliability and validity of the beck anxiety inventory.Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 1992;6(1):55-61.Beck depression inventory(Bdi). https://www.apa.org.Muntingh AD, van der Feltz-Cornelis CM, van Marwijk HW, Spinhoven P, Penninx BW, van Balkom AJ.Is the beck anxiety inventory a good tool to assess the severity of anxiety?A primary care study in The Netherlands study of depression and anxiety (Nesda).BMC Family Practice. 2011;12(1):66.Oh H, Park K, Yoon S, Kim Y, Lee SH, Choi YY, Choi KH.Clinical Utility of Beck Anxiety Inventory in Clinical and Nonclinical Korean Samples. Front Psychiatry. 2018 Dec 4;9:666. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00666.

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fydrich et al.Reliability and validity of the beck anxiety inventory.Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 1992;6(1):55-61.Beck depression inventory(Bdi). https://www.apa.org.Muntingh AD, van der Feltz-Cornelis CM, van Marwijk HW, Spinhoven P, Penninx BW, van Balkom AJ.Is the beck anxiety inventory a good tool to assess the severity of anxiety?A primary care study in The Netherlands study of depression and anxiety (Nesda).BMC Family Practice. 2011;12(1):66.Oh H, Park K, Yoon S, Kim Y, Lee SH, Choi YY, Choi KH.Clinical Utility of Beck Anxiety Inventory in Clinical and Nonclinical Korean Samples. Front Psychiatry. 2018 Dec 4;9:666. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00666.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Fydrich et al.Reliability and validity of the beck anxiety inventory.Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 1992;6(1):55-61.Beck depression inventory(Bdi). https://www.apa.org.Muntingh AD, van der Feltz-Cornelis CM, van Marwijk HW, Spinhoven P, Penninx BW, van Balkom AJ.Is the beck anxiety inventory a good tool to assess the severity of anxiety?A primary care study in The Netherlands study of depression and anxiety (Nesda).BMC Family Practice. 2011;12(1):66.Oh H, Park K, Yoon S, Kim Y, Lee SH, Choi YY, Choi KH.Clinical Utility of Beck Anxiety Inventory in Clinical and Nonclinical Korean Samples. Front Psychiatry. 2018 Dec 4;9:666. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00666.

Fydrich et al.Reliability and validity of the beck anxiety inventory.Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 1992;6(1):55-61.

Beck depression inventory(Bdi). https://www.apa.org.

Muntingh AD, van der Feltz-Cornelis CM, van Marwijk HW, Spinhoven P, Penninx BW, van Balkom AJ.Is the beck anxiety inventory a good tool to assess the severity of anxiety?A primary care study in The Netherlands study of depression and anxiety (Nesda).BMC Family Practice. 2011;12(1):66.

Oh H, Park K, Yoon S, Kim Y, Lee SH, Choi YY, Choi KH.Clinical Utility of Beck Anxiety Inventory in Clinical and Nonclinical Korean Samples. Front Psychiatry. 2018 Dec 4;9:666. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00666.

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