DMI
Depressive Mood Inventory
This exploratory questionnaire describes the different facets of depressed mood: sadness and emptiness, loss of pleasure, negative self-view, hopelessness, physical symptoms, and withdrawal. The profile helps clarify the presenting complaint, choose the first treatment targets, and track how they change over the course of therapy.
- Number of questions
- 24 questions
- Estimated duration
- 6 minutes
- Language
- English
- Original name
- Depressive Mood Inventory
- Target audience
- Adults
- Category
- Depression, Mood disorders
- Exploratory questionnaire
- Exploratory questionnaire
Preview of the 24 questions
Scoring & interpretation
Scoring
| Loss of pleasure and drive | 12 / 16 |
Less pleasure in activities usually enjoyed, loss of desire and motivation.
Areas to explore: the activities given up, what still brings a little pleasure, the level of daily activity.
| Slowing down and withdrawal | 12 / 16 |
Difficulty concentrating and making decisions, activities and relationships set aside.
Areas to explore: what has been set aside (work, leisure, friends), the impact on daily life, the support available.
| Sadness and emptiness | 7 / 16 |
Sad mood, tearfulness, a sense of emptiness or of no longer feeling anything.
Areas to explore: when the mood changed, the times of day when it is lowest, recent events.
| Hopelessness | 7 / 16 |
A bleak view of the future, the sense that nothing will change or get better.
Areas to explore: how the person sees the months ahead, what keeps them going, their reasons for hope. Marked hopelessness calls for a suicide risk assessment in the interview.
| Energy, sleep, and appetite | 5 / 16 |
Fatigue, lack of energy, sleep problems, and changes in appetite.
Areas to explore: sleep schedule and quality, tiredness on waking, weight changes, any medical cause to rule out.
| Negative self-view | 3 / 16 |
Feelings of worthlessness, excessive guilt, a sense of being a burden to others.
Areas to explore: thoughts about oneself (failure, uselessness, blame), their link with mood, the role of self-criticism.
See also: Self-Esteem Inventory.
No validated clinical or psychometric cutoffs have been established for this test yet. The results should therefore be considered exploratory indicators, meant to support the clinical interview, not diagnostic findings.
Scoring
Each statement is scored from 0 (never) to 4 (very often) based on its frequency over the past two weeks. Each domain combines 4 statements spread throughout the questionnaire, giving a score from 0 to 16.
Reading the profile
There is no total score. Domains are ranked from most to least elevated, each with a description of what it covers and points to explore in the interview. The profile shows which facets of depressed mood are most present. The "Loss of pleasure and drive" and "Slowing down and withdrawal" domains point toward behavioral activation; "Negative self-view" and "Hopelessness" point toward cognitive work.
Clinical cautions
The questionnaire contains no questions about thoughts of death or suicide. These are assessed in the interview, especially when the "Hopelessness" domain is elevated. The introduction refers the patient to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988, available 24/7).
Limitations
This exploratory questionnaire has not undergone psychometric validation and has no cutoffs. It supports the clinical interview and does not provide a diagnosis.
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