UPDATE: Following the comment below I looked on both the Canadian and US store for the BDI. It has been removed probably due to copyright issues. Original Post: It appears that popular questionnaires are getting online. I just checked if I was depressed using the BDI iphone app by Francesco Petrungaro. I'm glad to say that I'm not depressed (probably because the app is very user friendly and actually scores everything for you). The app is an exact replica of the BDI, I am not sure if this was published in conjunction with Pearson, but we definitely need more of these out there. See outside link [here]. Another great tool called Doctot Depression includes several questionaires including: The Hamilton depression scale (HDRS) as well as other tools such as the MSRS, HAMD-7, CGI, & HAM-A.
Sylvain Roy, Ph.D.
The BDI iPhone App is not in the US store, and perhaps not in any stores. This is not surprising as the material is copyrighted by the Beck Institute and the App did not appear to have permission.
ReplyDeleteHi there, thanks for your response. I did buy my copy on ITunes a few weeks ago in Canada. I'll check to see if it has been removed here. You raise an important question regarding the ethics of copyrighted materials and mobile applications. While I thought the app was well made and could be used in a clinical session, it is true that patients can purchase it too and thus have access to the questions.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely check on copyright of applications. If you purchase them, you could be at fault as well. Some folks are not willing to grant copyright. I had a SCID 75% ready to go, but the IP holders were not interested in any kind of licensing, revenue share, or even purchasing the code. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely an interesting slippery slope. One would hope that the people at ITunes would be aware of possible copyright infringement before selling a product. Definitely a lesson learned.
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