If you look on the internet for a depression test, you will find numerous tests, measuring depression. Because of the growth of psychological information which can be found on the internet, more and more people can be helped in their search. It is namely not always easy to take the first step when asking for help or to take a depression test at a psychologist's office. To reduce the size of this first step, you can nowadays find a lot of information on the internet to get you going.
Thanks to the internet, more people therefore find their way to proper care and to a depression test. However, this growing source of information also has a bad side. When you visit a psychologist, you can ask them for their diploma, and you will also know that you have ended up with a qualified person who can help you take the depression test. On the internet, this is not that easy. Oftentimes it is difficult to find out which site you can trust and which depression test really is valid.
We hope to be able to help you with this. "15Minutes4Me.com" developed an online self-help program, where people can work on their depression, anxiety, stress, or burnout with the help of therapeutic techniques. The self-help program tries to reduce the step toward proper care this way. Except for the program, you can also find validated information regarding several mental issues. This information was compiled by doctors and psychologists, so that you can find the internet to find the correct information.
Depression test: the validated depression test?
We can also help you in your search for a depression test. "15Minutes4Me.com" namely offers a free, validated depression test, so that you can find out at home which depression symptoms apply to you. The problem with many online depression tests is that they have not been validated, meaning they cannot really help you.
So, on this website you can find a free, validated depression test. The depression test consists of about 20 questions and takes 5 minutes or so.
This test has been used in several research projects in order to do research in depression, as well as to check the validity of this test. This depression test has, for example, been compared to the BDI, which is a frequently used test done to diagnose depression. Research showed that this depression test was a properly validated instrument for checking depression symptoms.
Can this test be used to set a diagnosis?
No, this test may not be considered a diagnosis. There is no test which can set an official diagnosis. A depression test should only play a supportive role in the work of a qualified caregiver, who can make an official diagnosis on the basis of these tests. So, when filling out this depression test, know that you are simply mapping your depression symptoms as well as their severity, but that you will not receive a diagnosis.
Depression test: other important tests?
Except for the free depression test which you can find on this website, there are several other well-known psychological tests which can be used to check a depression. Not all tests may be offered for free. The following tests cannot be found on the internet to fill out for free, but rather you can expect to find them with a psychologist or psychiatrists who uses it as a depression test.
Depression test: the BDI?
The depression tests which is probably most well-known, is the BDI (Beck Depression Inventory) by Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh . The BDI has already been validated by many studies and is therefore often used in psychologist research. Furthermore, the BDI also contains several norm groups, so that you can compare your depression symptoms to different populations. With populations, we mean groups of people, to which it might be interesting to compare our scores. Examples of possible populations include:
- The general population
- Psychiatric clients
- Caregivers
- Men between 30 and 40 years of age
The BDI is an instrument, which may determine depression as well as the severity of this depression. This list of questions may be filled out by adults and adolescents who are at least 13 years of age.
Depression test: the SCL-90?
Except for the BDI there also are other questionnaires which are often used in psychological research. A good example thereof is the SCL-90 (Symptom Checklist) by Ettema and Arrindell. Except for depression, this list of questions also looks at:
- Agoraphobia
- Anxiety
- Somatic complaints
- Insufficiency in thinking and acting
- Trust issues and interpersonal sensitivity
- Hostility
- Issues sleeping
Compared to the BDI, the SCL-90 looks at a general level of functioning and also tries to map the physical functioning, to give a general overview. This question list, too, contains several norm groups and can be used by adults and adolescents of 12 years or older of age.
Depression test? What should a good depression test contain?
To be able to differentiate a good depression test from a 'bad' depression test, we make use of a few principles.
First off, we consider the trustworthiness of the instrument. If an instrument has not been validated, your results cannot be trusted. This means that the results do not really tell you anything. If the depression test tells you that you have a depression, this does not tell you anything other than this which you think yourself. This 'diagnosis' is not backed up by anything, does not check the correct depression symptoms, ... In short, you cannot trust the results of a test which in itself is not trustworthy.
Furthermore, it is very important that a test is valid. This means that you can test everyone at the hand of the depression test. Some tests on the internet are namely only valid for a certain type of person. FOr example, it might be so that a depression test can set a good 'diagnosis' for all women in a population, but not for men, for instance. So, men can then not trust the results which they receive.
Depression test: why is a depression test useful?
A depression test can tell you something about your depression symptoms and to what extent you suffer from these depression symptoms in your daily life. Furthermore, it can help you to select a good type of care for your situation. So, do not hesitate and take the first step to help by filling out the free depression test.
