Using the Persian-language version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II-Persian) for the screening of depression in students.

Early identification and treatment of depression can prevent the development of the full depressive episode and its consequences. Although the Beck Depression Inventory-II is among the most widely used tools for measuring depression, there are relatively few studies that empirically confirm any cutoff points for screening depression among university students. Our subjects were 400 students from Ilam University (Iran). On the basis of a diagnostic interview checklist, the subjects were differentiated whether they were major depressive syndrome positive (MDS+) (i.e., fulfill criteria A and C of major depressive episode Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision criteria) or significant depression positive (SD+) (having depressed mood or anhedonia that caused significant distress or dysfunction). According to receiver operating characteristic curves obtained, the cutoff point of 22 or greater was the most suitable to screen MDS, whereas for screening milder but clinically significant depression (i.e., having depressed mood or anhedonia that caused significant distress or dysfunction), the cutoff point of 14 or greater was the best.