EXERCISE: Measuring Symptoms of Depression
To track the symptoms of depression you are experiencing, rate each item listed on the
Mind
Over Mood
Depression Inventory (Worksheet 13.1). Fill out this inventory periodically as you use
this book, to assess how your depression is changing and which
Mind Over Mood
skills are most
worthwhile.
Score the inventory by adding up the numbers you circled or marked for all the items. For
example, if you circled or marked 3 for each item, your score would be 57 (3 × 19 items).
Compare your scores once or twice each week, to see if any of your symptoms are decreasing
(and, if so, which symptoms are decreasing and which are not).
Record your progress on
Mind Over Mood
Depression Inventory scores on Worksheet 13.2.
Mark each column at the bottom with the date you completed the Depression Inventory. Then
put an × in the column across from your score. It is best to ll out the inventory at fairly
regular intervals, such as weekly or twice a month, rather than just lling it out when you feel
particularly down. That way, the graph of your scores will be a more representative snapshot of
your mood over time. (If you are lling out these worksheets onscreen, please note that the
graph in Worksheet 13.2 cannot be completed interactively. We recommend that you print this
worksheet and complete it by hand. Alternatively, some PDF software has a freehand pencil tool that
you can use to complete the worksheet onscreen.)
You may nd that your scores uctuate from week to week, or that they do not improve each
and every time you ll out the inventory. Some weeks your score may be higher (more depressed)
than the week before. This is not unusual, nor is it a bad sign; in fact, it reects a pattern of recov-
ery experienced by some people. A general pattern of decreasing scores over time is a sign that
the changes you are making are contributing to your improvement.
Two dierent decreasing patterns are shown in the Epilogue of this book (Figures E.1 and E.2,
pp. 293 and 294) for Ben and Marissa. If your scores keep going up or don’t change at all over a
six-week period, even though you are doing the exercises in this book, this can be a signal that you
might need to try a dierent approach or get help from a health care professional.
