Depression Assessment: Are you Depressed?

During the past few weeks, Never Rarely Sometimes Frequently Always
Things have been getting on my nerves.





I feel down in the dumps.





People can’t get me out of my bad mood.





I feel worthless.





It’s hard to get anything done.





I feel like crying for no reason.





I have a hard time sleeping.





Its difficult to get out of bed in the morning.





I don’t feel like being around other people.





I have lost my appetite





I feel all alone.





I have trouble concentrating.





I feel my life is a failure.





I feel depressed.





I’m afraid of what is going to happen to me.





I’ve lost hope things will get better.





I no longer enjoy doing the things I used to.





Depression Assessment Results:

You do not appear to be suffering depression. Even if you
occasionally feel down, it is probably just temporary and you
will bounce back. However, if you still feel you are depressed,
you may want to check with your doctor or a mental health
professional.

You may be suffering mild depression. Just about everyone
becomes depressed sometimes and it often goes away with some
effort.

You may be able to overcome this on your own by:

  • Pushing yourself to increase your physical activity
  • Sharing your feelings with someone close to you
  • Doing something nice for yourself
  • Helping someone else in need
  • Completing some small projects you have been putting off
  • Reminding yourself of your positive traits and things you have done in the past that you’ve been proud of
  • Joining in on an interactive discussion group
  • Reminding yourself that you will overcome these feelings

Things to avoid:

  • Sleeping in or not going to work
  • Isolating from friends and family’
  • Watching a lot of television
  • Blaming yourself, feeling guilty or thinking other negative thought about yourself
  • Feeling like there is nothing you can do (you can always do something to help you overcome this, even if it requires the help of friends, family or a professional)

You may be suffering moderate to severe clinical depression.
Only an evaluation by your doctor or a therapist can determine
for sure. Depression is an illness, just like the flu or
diabetes. Fortunately, there are very effective treatments for
depression. To start with, you may want to enroll in the
“Problems in Living program for depression”. You may need to
meet with a therapist. Psychiatrists, psychologists and social
workers who have experience in treating depression can be very
helpful.

Because clinical depression is usually caused by a chemical
imbalance in the brain, it often requires long-term treatment
with medication. Fortunately, there are now very effective
medications for treating depression. They take a few weeks to
work, but they can eventually allow you to feel yourself again.

IMPORTANT: IF YOU EVER FEEL LIKE HARMING YOURSELF, CALL YOUR LOCAL
MENTAL HEALTH CENTER OR GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM AT A NEARBY HOSPITAL.