Symptom Test for Depression
Do you feel tired and sad most of the time? Have you almost completely lost interest in what used to be a lot of fun? Have persistent negative emotions reduced your capacity to concentrate and think clearly? Have your appetite and your sleeping patterns been disturbed? Do you often feel incompetent, inferior, unloved? Have you thought about hurting yourself?
How Depressed are You?
If you are concerned about depression in yourself or another person, this page may help. It is designed to be something of a quick "one - stop - web - service" for initial direction concerning treating depression.
It is not, and is not intended to be an adequate substitute for face to face testing, evaluation, and treatment planning by a licensed mental health professional. But, this page was put together by mental health professionals and may prove to be an important first step in the healing and recovery process. Its primary purpose is educational - in the best and deepest sense of that word.
The three sections of this page will: 1. help you assess your current level of depression, 2. give you some idea of how your score compares to the scores of others, and 3. provide you with some initial treatment recommendations. These are research-driven clinical criteria and treatment options.
Take the short, self-scoring psychometric test below. It produces much of the same information and implied recommendations as the best known, well-validated tests for depression. It closely follows the criteria for depression listed in the DSM IV. After taking the test, press the "Calculate Your Score" button. You will then be able to see your score in context, and review the treatment recommendations. To help achieve accurate scoring, check only One response for each test item listed below.
Symptom Test for Depression
The highest possible score on this test is a total of 78 (a "3" rating on all 26 questions). Any score over 60 is not likely to be accurate. If it is accurate, the person would almost certainly find himself or herself experiencing a crushing, devastating depression. 0-17: Little or no indication of depression at this time.
You are most likely feeling reasonably happy and healthy, and are continuing to enjoy life. If symptoms of depression appear or increase, however, an evaluation for depression by a mental health professional might be in order.
18-25: Results suggest a mild depression may be present. Symptoms
should be monitored closely and carefully. If there is any increase in the symptoms of
depression, or if the ones aleady present begin to interfere with normal living, an evaluation by a mental health professional should be considered.
26-35: Results indicate a moderate depression. An evaluation and possible treatment by a licensed professional is in order. As symptom scores increase, there is a greater and greater likelihood that the symptoms of depression will noticeably interfere with daily work and living.
36 and above: Clear indication of depression, and the depression may be severe. Professional evaluation and treatment in your town or city should be sought. Test results indicate the symptoms of depression are interfering with daily work and living, and probably in a dramatic manner. If not treated, depression is often dangerous and debilitating (depression is the leading cause of disability, and one of the
leading causes of premature death, worldwide). Depression,
however, is often quickly identified and readily treated by
mental health professionals. With professional evaluation and
treatment, the prognosis is usually good. More than 80% of those seeking help for depression respond positively to indicated treatments. Yet, sadly, only about a third of those suffering from depression seek professional assistance.
In any given year, almost 10% of the U.S. adult population will
fully meet criteria for unipolar major depression (experience the
symptoms of true "clinical depression"). Across a lifetime, 10-12% of all
men, and 20-25% of all women will experience the symptoms of clinical
depression. These statistics indicate a personal and social problem
of staggering proportions. The costs in terms of personal and family
distress are very great, on top of the enormous economic impact of lost
workdays, wages, and productivity.
After the mental health professional empathetically listens to the suffering individual's personal and social history (this often helps to establish a high level of emotional and spiritual "rapport"), successful treatments usually include the following: Research also indicates that finding ways to improve your relationships with friends and family members, developing and maintaining your spiritual life and walk, and even interacting with affectionate pets all help to keep depression at bay.
These means and methods, particularly when combined in the safest and
best ways, often prove to be a powerful force for good. Electronic testing and treatment recommendations are most useful for general educational purposes. E-testing and follow-up suggestions are not an adequate substitute for face to face testing, evaluation, and treatment planning by a licensed professional. If your emotional pain/depression is severe or recurrent, we encourage you to seek out a licensed professional in your area.
A mental health professional can help you put together a treatment program. As you work your program, you can start getting well - today!
On the scale below, you can see what your score indicates:
1. Cognitive-behavioral therapy -- this helps to correct faulty thinking patterns and reduce or eliminate recurrent self-defeating behaviors; clients are taught to respond differently -- more rationally, more effectively -- to the challenges in their lives.
2. Encouragement to engage in regular physical exercise -- this helps to improve circulation to the brain, oxygenate the cells, release endorphins, and psychologically to re-establish a sense of personal control and competence.
3. Personal schedule review and time-use modification -- this helps to get the person's life back in line with his or her personal values, at least in terms of the investment of his or her time.
4. Possibly a prescription for a serotonin and/or norepinephrine-targeted medication -- these are the two neurotransmitters most often significantly depleted when someone is experiencing a severe depression.
In the experience of some individuals the herbal supplement, St. John's Wort (hypericum), appears to offer relief from depression by increasing the supply of serotonin into the synaptic cleft.
Two important side notes: 1. Bipolar Disorder (formerly called Manic Depression), while often mistaken for unipolar major depression, is a very different disease/disorder, and it needs to be treated with very different medications and managed in a very different way. 2. St. John's Wort should NOT be taken concurrently with prescription anti-depressants, unless directly ordered and monitored by a physician with considerable experience in psychotropic medications and their potentially dangerous interactions.