The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) is a self-report instrument frequently used in clinical and research settings to assess depression severity. Although investigators have examined the factor structure of the BDI-II, a clear consensus on the best fitting model has not yet emerged, resulting in different recommendations regarding how to best score and interpret BDI-II results. In the current investigation, confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate previously identified models of the latent symptom structure of depression as assessed by the BDI-II. In contrast to previous investigations, we utilized a reliably diagnosed, homogenous clinical sample, composed only of patients with major depressive disorder (N = 425)--the population for whom this measure of depression severity was originally designed. Two 3-factor models provided a good fit to the data and were further evaluated by means of factor associations with an external, interviewer-rated measure of depression severity. The results contribute to a growing body of evidence for the Ward (2006) model, including a General (G) depression factor, a Somatic (S) factor, and a Cognitive (C) factor. The results also support the use of the BDI-II total scale score. Research settings may wish to model minor factors to remove variance extraneous to depression where possible.

Objective: To compare the quality of life of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with and without depression comorbidity. Method: Treatment-seeking outpatients (n = 56) with OCD (n = 28) or comorbid OCD and major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 28), matched by age, sex, and antidepressant medication use, completed a multidimensional measure of quality of life. Results: Patients with comorbid OCD and MDD reported significantly greater decrements in their subjective feelings, social relations, and a composite measure of general activities (for example, overall well-being and life satisfaction) in comparison with patients with OCD without MDD. These differences were not owing to the presence of other Axis I comorbid disorders. Conclusions: Treatments addressing depression comorbidity in the context of primary OCD are required to improve the quality of life of this severely affected population of OCD sufferers.

Objective: The nature and form of demographics-related differences in ADHD self-reported symptoms across adulthood is currently poorly understood. This study explored the psychometrics of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale Screener (ASRS-6), including its age-and gender-related measurement invariance. Methods: Structural equation models were used to analyze adult data-aged 16 to 95-from the 2007 British Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey. Results: The 3-factor model (Disorganization, Inattention, Hyperactivity) outperformed one-and two-factor models. Selfreported attentional deficits may be more pathognomonic of overall selfreported ADHD in adults than other symptoms. All items exhibited age measurement noninvariance while only a subset exhibited gender measurement noninvariance. Individuals who are male and younger tend to have lower thresholds for endorsement for ASRS-6 items than individuals who are female and older. Conclusions: The ASRS-6 does not appear to be unidimensional, and self-reported ASRS-6 symptomatology changes in meaning with age.

Empirical evidence clearly shows that comorbidity between disorders is the rule in mental disorders, rather than the exception. The regularity and frequency of certain patterns of comorbidity suggests that comorbidity arises for substantive reasons, such as shared etiology between disorders. Two latent liability factors have been proposed to account for patterns of comorbidity between common mental disorders: internalizing and externalizing. Internalizing psychopathology encompasses phenomena such as depression, anxiety, and phobias, while externalizing psychopathology encompasses phenomena such as substance use problems and impulsive, antisocial behavior.