From research we know that many people use the search term depression test. Thanks to new technology and the internet, there quickly is a lot of information available. In psychology, too, we notice a change. People often look for symptoms, treatment, or diagnoses on the internet. People want to be able to take a depression test from home, which can help them find what they are looking for. This is a good first step to take. It often is difficult to take the first step toward getting help. Here, the internet can then help you. You are anonymous and choose when to look something up and when you would rather not. While this is a good first step, you must be careful with the information which you find on the internet.
Depression test? What is important to know?
Know that depression tests which you find on the internet are not always psychologically valid. Psychological research often takes many years when it comes to validating a certain test. This means that we check whether a test does actually measure a depression. Sometimes you might thing that certain questions do really point at a certain symptom. Yet this is something which you need to be careful about. Furthermore, there is not a single test which can diagnose you. The only person in psychological care who is allowed to set a diagnosis is a psychiatrist. Even a psychologist or nurse is not allowed to set a diagnosis. When even they are not allowed to do so, a test on the internet most definitely does not have this ability, either.
Depression test? What should one do then?
The online self-help program 15 Minutes 4 Me offers a psychologically validated depression test which you can fill out here for free. This test, like the other tests, may not set a diagnosis, but it can point you in the right directions. The arrows, which you will find after the test, do indicate to what extent depression symptoms influence your life. With this information, you have come a lot further already. You can use this information in order to look for eventual possible treatments.
