Depression screening or self-test?
Is there a test that I can take online to gauge whether I am depressed? The ones I have taken seem very simple and not specific. Also, is it possible to be depressed and not “sad or hopeless?” Like, is it possible to feel grateful for life but still depressed. I sometimes feel unmotivated and stuck and like I’m missing something and then I feel ashamed and guilty. But I’m not sad all the time and I don’t think I’m hopeless (I have a very strong church background so maybe I don’t even know what hopeless would look like for me. Thank you!
@ambitiousPond777 The short answer is yes, there are online tests. But they can be misleading.
One problem is that the word "depressed" has two different meanings. In ordinary language, depressed can mean feeling unmotivated, stuck and missing out on something in life. Among medical professionals, depressed means a mental illness that requires treatment with psychotherapy, medications, or both. They are not the same.
A second problem is that some of the online tests were designed by pharmaceutical companies to market their products. So these tests are very likely to exaggerate the seriousness of depression. At 7 Cups, our Free Online Emotional Wellness Test combines tests for depression and anxiety that were originally developed to market medications in this way. If you take tests of this kind, I suggest the results need to be interpreted with caution.
Examples of other tests used by professionals include the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. No professional would rely on a test result alone to make a diagnosis.
Talking to a mental health professional, even for just one session, could be a better way to explore whether your feelings indicate mental illness and how to overcome them.
Charlie
Thank you, Charlie. That makes sense — the differences in the definitions of depression on a clinical and non-clinical level.
I don’t remember my exact 7 Cups result — I believe it said “mild depression” — but going through the Beck and other tests, I’m seeing that I definitely rate higher than I thought. My previous therapist screened me for anxiety and it was moderate. I see that I have regular feelings of failure, guilt, and worthlessness that have made it difficult to function well. Are 7 Cups Therapists able to make a diagnosis virtually? Also, is depression only treated with medicine or have people been able to treat it without meds?
@ambitiousPond777 Again, the term diagnosis only refers to mental illness. My understanding is that a therapist would be able to suggest a possible diagnosis for the purpose of planning a course of therapy, but in the case of mental illness I don't know whether an insurer, for example, would require additional confirmation from a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist.
Yes, depression is often treated without medication. The therapy now known as CBT was originally developed to treat severe depression in a hospital setting, and it works well for milder depression and anxiety disorders too. However, not all therapists who say they provide CBT adhere to the original principles.
I think any good therapist should be able to treat feelings of failure, guilt, and worthlessness without needing to diagnose any mental illness at all.
Charlie
Thank you, this is very helpful. I understand now, thank you for clarifying regarding diagnosis. I am going to speak to my therapist this week and I also have a CBT journal I can work through for some of those feelings I’m having.