Depressive (Negative) Mood Statements

1. Today is neither better nor worse than any other day.
2. I feel rather sluggish now.
3. Every now and then I feel so tired and gloomy that I'd rather just sit than do anything.
4. Sometimes I wonder whether school is all that worthwhile.
5. I can remember times when everybody but me seemed full of energy.
6. Too often I have found myself staring listlessly into the distance, my mind a blank, when I definitely should  have been studying.
7. It has occurred to me more than once that study is basically useless, because you forget almost everything you  learn anyway.
8. People annoy me; I wish I could be by myself.
9. I've had important decisions to make in the past, and I've sometimes made the wrong ones.
10. I do feel somewhat discouraged and drowsy - maybe I'll need a nap when I get home.
11. Perhaps college takes more time, effort, and money than it's worth.
12. I just don't seem to be able to get going as fast as I used to.
13. I couldn't remember things well right now if I had to.
14. Just a little bit of effort tires me out.
15. I've had daydreams in which my mistakes kept occuring to me - sometimes I wish I could start over again.
16. I'm ashamed that I've caused my parents needless worry.
17. I feel tembly tired and indifferent to things today.
18. Just to stand up would take a big effort.
19. I'm getting tired out. I can feel my body getting exhausted and heavy.
20. I'm beginning to feel sleepy . My thoughts are drifting.
21. At times I've been so tired and discouraged that I went to sleep rather than face important problems.
22. My life is so tiresorne - the same old thing day after day depresses me.
23. There have been days when I felt weak and confused and everythngg went miserably wrong.
24. I can't make up my mind; it's so hard to make simple decisions.
25. I want to go to sleep - I feel like just closing my eyes and going to sleep right here.
26. I'rn not very alert; I feel listless and vaguely sad.
27. I've doubted that I'm a worthwhile person.
28. I feel worn out. My health may not be as good as it's supposed to be.
29. It often seems that no matter how hard I try, things still go wrong.
30. I've noticed that no one seems to really understand or care when I complain or feel unhappy .
31. I'm uncertain about my future.
32. I'm discouraged and unhappy about myself.
33. I've lain awake at night worrying so long that I hated myself.
34. Things are worse now than when I was younger.
35. The way I feel now, the future looks boring and hopeless.
36. My parents never really tried to understand me.
37. Some very important decisions are almost impossible for me to make.
38. I feel tired and depressed; I don't feel like working on the things I know I must get done.
39. I feel horribly guilty about how I've treated my parents at times.
40. I have the feeling that I just can't reach people.
41. Things are easier and better for other people than for me. I feel like there's no use in trying again.
42. Often people make me very upset. I don't like to be around them.
43. It takes too much effort to convince people of anything. There's no point in trying.
44. I fail in communicating with people about my problems.
45. It's so discouraging the way people don't reaily iisten to me.
46. I've felt so lonesome before, that I could have cried.
47. Sometimes I've wished I could die.
48. My thoughts are so slow and downcast. I don't want to think or talk.
49. I just don't care about anything. Life just isn't any fun
50. Life seems too much for me - my efforts are wasted.
51. I'm so tired.
52. I don't concentrate or move. I just want to forget about everything.
53. I have too many bad things in my life.
54. Everythmg seems utterly futile and empty.
55. I feel dizzy and faint. I need to put my head down and not move.
56. I don't want to do anything.
57. All of my unhappiness of my past life is taking possession of me.
58. I want to go to sleep and never wake up.

From "The induction of elation and depression through the reading of structraed sets of mood-statements, by E. Velten, 1967, Dissertation Abstracts. 28(4).