Are You Depressed? Take This Self-Test
If you've been feeling out of sorts, you could have clinical depression that requires medical attention, or you could have a milder form of the blues that can be helped with seven instant mood boosters. Use this evaluation to help determine where your symptoms fall on the depression scale. You can print out the results and bring them to your doctor to discuss whether you might benefit from antidepressants or psychotherapy.
You can also take the quiz every week to track your moods and see whether self-help measures or other treatments are working.
You might notice your score improving before you really begin to feel better, telling you that you're on the right track, says depression researcher Ivan Goldberg, a New York-based psychiatrist who created the self-test, which has been validated by independent researchers.
Note: This test is not designed to make a diagnosis of depression, which should be performed by your doctor. If you score above 30 or answer anything other than "A" on question No. 15, you should see your doctor to discuss your symptoms and possible treatments. Any change of 5 or more points, from one test to the next, indicates that your moods have changed significantly.
The 18 items below refer to how you felt or behaved during the past week. For each item, click on the choice that indicates the extent to which the statement is true.
Source: Copyright 1993 Ivan Goldberg. All rights reserved. Adopted from the printed edition of the Goldberg Depression Inventory for electronic distribution. For personal use only; other use may be prohibited by law. Used here with permission.
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