Journal of clinical psychology
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The overlap of symptoms associated with anxiety and depressive disorders hinders their differentiation using self-report scales. The aim of this study was to develop purified versions of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) that encompass only items highly specific to anxiety and depression, respectively. ⋯ Anxiety and depression seem to be inherently linked and, thus, the high comorbidity of anxiety and depressive disorders seems to be not a function of the same types of symptoms being reported for each disorder. Nevertheless, purified BAI and BDI-II scales might be useful for separating the effects of interventions on anxiety and depressive symptoms.