This test is a quick quiz to determine whether you have the symptoms of major depression, as defined by the National Institute of Mental Health. The test simply runs through the nine symptoms and asks you if you have that symptom. Five or more symptoms are regarded as meeting the diagnostic criteria, so if you answer “YES” to 5 or more, then you may be experiencing major depression.
Along with the mania quiz, these two tests are the first in a series we are developing.
Some caveats are necessary before you take the quiz.
You may think you have a symptom that you don’t have.
Unless you are a qualified health professional, your understanding of the symptoms of depression may not be the same as the official definitions. For example, one of the symptoms is “inability to think or indecisiveness.” But how indecisive is too indecisive? How much is normal versus symptomatic of a serious condition?
Most of the symptoms are mostly self-explanatory, but even so, it is possible to see symptoms of mental illness in yourself even if you are functioning normally, so treat the results with caution.
You may not realise that you are exhibiting symptoms
On the other hand, you may answer “NO” when an objective observer or a psychologist may think that you do have the symtom. Your answers might not be as accurate as you think.
The results do not align exactly with the diagnostic definition.
If you answer that you have any five symtoms, the test will declare that you may be experiencing major depression, but the diagnostic criteria are actually more stringent than this: one of the five has to be either symptom 1 (depressed mood) or symptom 2 (loss of interest in activities), plus 4 others. If neither of these is a symtom then it’s not “major depression,” even if there are 5 symptoms. It’s certainly still depression, just not “major” depression. Therefore, the test will sometimes find major depression when it should not.
The results of this test are not a diagnosis.
This is an online test and should not be taken as a diagnosis. It is an education tool, and an awareness raising exercise, that’s all. You can’t find out if you have a particular condition or disorder by doing online tests. The only way to find out is with a real world interaction with a health professional.
If you think you are depressed, please see a doctor or a psychologist. Online resources such as this site can only ever be a supplement to the support that you can get through personalised treatment.
You can take the test here.
