Depressed? Here is a useful questionnaire to help:
Many mental health professionals believe that screening for depression and other emotional disorders is necessary and long overdue. They argue that millions of people who are emotionally troubled never get help and that heightened vigilance would serve to head off more serious emotional problems later. Surveys have found that about 16 percent of Americans - or as many as 46 million people - suffer from depression at some point. And by some estimates, depression costs the nation $44 billion a year in lost work and disability - more than any other illness, including heart disease. Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, New York City's health commissioner, said that, "depression is the leading illness in New York City, but it can be effectively treated...surveys show that there are an estimated 400,000 New Yorkers with depression; many have not been accurately diagnosed or effectively treated."
The following questionnaire is not meant to provide a formal diagnosis, however a high score would indicate the need for further examination and possible treatment.
RATING DEPRESSION
Over the past two weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems? Please click the check box that most applies to you.
0 – Not at all 1 – Several days 2 – More than half of the days 3 – Nearly every day
1) Little interest or pleasure in doing things: 0 1 2 3 ...................................................................................................................... 2) Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless: 0 1 2 3 ...................................................................................................................... 3) Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much: 0 1 2 3 ...................................................................................................................... 4) Feeling tired or having little energy: 0 1 2 3 ...................................................................................................................... 5) Poor appetite or overeating: 0 1 2 3 ...................................................................................................................... 6) Feeling bad about yourself, or that you are a failure and have let yourself or your family down: 0 1 2 3
...................................................................................................................... 7) Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching TV: 0 1 2 3 ...................................................................................................................... 8) Moving or speaking so slowly that other people can notice. Or the opposite, being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual: 0 1 2 3 ...................................................................................................................... 9) Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or hurting yourself in some way: 0 1 2 3
