Unbiased criteria for severity of depression in alcoholic inpatients.

The internal consistency of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is assessed in 106 inpatient alcoholics by using a latent trait model. The analysis confirms that the BDI measures a single underlying dimension of depressive severity among alcoholics. Seven symptoms discriminate well for severity of depression. These seven--work inhibition, guilt, self-disgust, irritability, indecision, dissatisfaction, and loss of social interest--may represent criteria for depressive severity that are not confounded by chronic drinking, physical withdrawal, unique personality organization, or life circumstances of alcoholics. Three of the symptoms--dissatisfaction, loss of social interest, indecision--may represent core criteria for depressive severity by virtue of their previously demonstrated ability to discriminate well for severity of depression among both psychiatric and medical inpatients.