Should I Use The Beck Anxiety Inventory?
Stress and anxiety are feelings that we all have to cope with on a daily basis. Sometimes it can be difficult to know just how badly we are being affected. Moreover, our anxiety levels can be affected by many factors at any given point in time. The Beck Anxiety Inventory was developed by Dr Aaron Beck to help give both patients and therapists a better understanding of a a patient’s anxiety levels.
The test comprises of 21 questions which are designed to help the patient convey how they are feeling at the time of the test and also how they are feeling generally. The questions are answered by the patient so that the therapist does not inadvertently affect the patient’s answers. The questions aim to get the patient to describe their emotional and physical feelings over the last week.
Each question must be answered and the patient must assign a score of 0-3
0 indicates normal levels of anxiety
1 means that there is mild anxiety
2 demonstrates moderate anxiety that the patient can deal with
3 indicates that the anxiety is extreme and unbearable
There are two aspects to the questions. There are questions designed to address the emotional state of the patient such as their fear of losing control and there are questions designed to address the physical symptoms that a patient is experiencing. These might include a pounding heart or a feeling of breathlessness.
The scores from each question are added up and the total is used as an indication of the patient’s anxiety levels over the last week. If the total is 21 or less, then the patient is not considered to be anxious. There is always the possibility though that patient may have been less than 100% honest.
Moderate anxiety is represented by a score between 21 and 35. In this case, it is clear that the patient is clearly not happy about something and it is important that something is done to determine the cause of the problem before it escalates into a full blown disorder.
A score of greater than 35 indicates that the patient is suffering from extreme anxiety and that they may need professional help to reduce their anxiety levels.
The Beck anxiety inventory works with all people from all age groups and can even be given orally for very young children or people that can’t read or write. It only takes a few minutes to answer the questions and is one of the more popular tests that therapists use to help categorize their patients.
One of the strengths of the test is its ability to help therapists distinguish between anxiety and depression, which are two closely linked conditions. Once you understand what you are experiencing, you will be much better able to come up with appropriate treatments which can give you your life back again.