[Curing Depression #3] Is there a way to self-diagnose depression?

 

Is there a way to self-diagnose depression?

Self-diagnosing depression can be challenging and is not a substitute for a professional evaluation. However, there are several tools and quizzes available online that can help you assess your symptoms and determine if you might be experiencing depression. Some of these tools are based on standardized screening tools used by healthcare professionals. It's important to remember that self-assessment is not a substitute for a proper medical evaluation and if you are concerned about your mental health, it's always best to seek help from a mental health professional.

What types of self-assessment tools are there?

1. PHQ-9

The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is a widely used self-assessment tool for depression. It consists of 9 questions that assess the presence and severity of symptoms associated with depression, such as feeling sad or hopeless, difficulty sleeping, and trouble concentrating. Each question is rated on a scale of 0-3, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms.

The PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) is a commonly used self-administered tool for assessing the severity of depression symptoms in adults. The following are the steps to measure PHQ-9:

1) Provide the patient with a PHQ-9 questionnaire and instructions on how to complete it.
2) The patient is asked to rate the frequency of the following 9 symptoms of depression over the past two weeks:

- Little interest or pleasure in doing things

- Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless

- Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much

- Feeling tired or having little energy

- Poor appetite or overeating

- Feeling bad about yourself, or that you are a failure, or have let yourself or your family down

- Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television

- Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed, or being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving a lot more than usual

- Thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way

3) The patient rates each item using a four-point scale (0-3) as follows:

0: Not at all

1: Several days

2: More than half the days

3: Nearly every day

4. The total score is calculated by adding up the scores for each item (0-27). The higher the score, the more severe the depression symptoms.

5. The results are interpreted as follows:

0-4: minimal depression symptoms

5-9: mild depression symptoms

10-14: moderate depression symptoms

15-19: moderately severe depression symptoms

20-27: severe depression symptoms

Note: It is important to remember that the PHQ-9 is a screening tool, not a diagnostic tool. Further evaluation by a healthcare professional is necessary to diagnose depression and determine the best course of treatment.

2. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is a 21-item self-report questionnaire that assesses symptoms of depression. The questionnaire covers a range of symptoms, including sadness, hopelessness, sleep problems, and difficulty concentrating. Each item is rated on a scale of 0-3, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms.

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is a self-reported questionnaire that assesses the severity of depression symptoms in adults. Here are the steps to measure BDI:

1) Provide the patient with the BDI questionnaire and instructions on how to complete it.

2) The patient is asked to rate how they have felt over the past two weeks, using a four-point Likert scale (0-3), on the following 21 items:

Sadness

Pessimism

Past failure

Loss of pleasure

Guilt feelings

Punishment feelings

Self-dislike

Self-criticalness

Suicidal wishes

Crying

Irritability

Social withdrawal

Indecisiveness

Body image change

Work inhibition

Sleep disturbance

Fatigue

Loss of appetite

Weight loss

Bodily preoccupation

Loss of libido

3) The total score is calculated by adding up the scores for each item (0-63). The higher the score, the more severe the depression symptoms.

4) The results are interpreted as follows:

0-9: minimal depression symptoms

10-18: mild depression symptoms

19-29: moderate depression symptoms

30-40: moderately severe depression symptoms

41-63: severe depression symptoms

Note: It is important to remember that the BDI is a screening tool, not a diagnostic tool. Further evaluation by a healthcare professional is necessary to diagnose depression and determine the best course of treatment.

3. Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)

The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is a 20-item questionnaire that measures the presence and severity of symptoms associated with depression. The questions cover a range of symptoms, including feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and difficulty sleeping. Each item is rated on a scale of 0-3, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms.

The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is a self-administered questionnaire that measures symptoms of depression. The scale is widely used to assess depression in the general population and in clinical settings. Here are the steps to measure the CES-D scale:

Administration

The CES-D can be self-administered, or it can be administered by a trained interviewer. Participants should be instructed to answer each item based on how they felt over the past week.

Scoring

Each item is scored on a 4-point scale, ranging from 0 (rarely or none of the time) to 3 (most or all of the time). The total score can range from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating greater levels of depression.

Cutoff Scores

Cutoff scores are used to determine whether a person is experiencing symptoms of depression. A commonly used cutoff score is 16, which indicates a likely case of depression. However, the cutoff score may be adjusted based on the population being studied and the purpose of the assessment.

Interpretation

The total score can be used to determine the severity of depression, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms. The CES-D can also be used to track changes in depression symptoms over time, by comparing scores from different assessments.

It's important to keep in mind that the CES-D is not a diagnostic tool, and a positive score should not be used to diagnose depression without additional evaluation by a mental health professional. The CES-D is just one of many tools that can be used to assess symptoms of depression, and its results should be considered in conjunction with other relevant information.

4. Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS)

The Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) is a 10-item questionnaire that assesses symptoms of depression. The questions cover a range of symptoms, including feelings of sadness and hopelessness, difficulty sleeping, and trouble concentrating. Each item is rated on a scale of 0-3, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms.

The Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) is a self-administered questionnaire used to assess symptoms of depression. Here are the steps to measure the EDS:

Administration

Participants should be instructed to answer each item based on how they have been feeling over the past week. The EDS can be self-administered, or it can be administered by a trained interviewer.

Scoring

Each item is scored on a 4-point scale, ranging from 0 (not present) to 3 (present nearly every day). The total score can range from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater levels of depression.

Cutoff Scores

Cutoff scores are used to determine whether a person is experiencing symptoms of depression. A commonly used cutoff score is 9, which indicates a likely case of depression. However, the cutoff score may be adjusted based on the population being studied and the purpose of the assessment.

Interpretation

The total score can be used to determine the severity of depression, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms. The EDS can also be used to track changes in depression symptoms over time, by comparing scores from different assessments.

It's important to keep in mind that the EDS is not a diagnostic tool, and a positive score should not be used to diagnose depression without additional evaluation by a mental health professional. The EDS is just one of many tools that can be used to assess symptoms of depression, and its results should be considered in conjunction with other relevant information.

It's important to remember that self-assessment tools are not a substitute for a professional evaluation by a mental health expert, as they may not accurately diagnose depression or other mental health conditions. If you are concerned about your mental health, it's always best to seek help from a mental health professional.