Not everyone experiences why doctors have developed a number of screening tools to help discover if you are at risk — and the exact same warning signals of diagnosing depression isn’t always difficult.

“Diagnosing depression needs a complete history as well as physical exam,” says Richard Shadick, PhD, associate adjunct professor of psychology and director of the counseling facility at Pace University in New York. Doctors must rule out medical problems such as thyroid disease and consider coexisting mental wellbeing issues like substance abuse, post traumatic stress, and anxiety disorder.

What goes into a depression screening? “There are many kinds of depression scales and melancholy displays,” clarifies Shadick. “The questions asked look for common symptoms as well as how much these symptoms could be affecting an individual ‘s capability to operate and keep relationships.”

Which Depression Screening Will Your Doctor Use?

Two of the very commonly used standardized screening tools for depression are the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). These depression screenings may also include questions that are specifically designed to screen the elderly or kids.

Some doctors also rely on the Beck Depression Inventory and the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). “These various displays may contain questions about motivation, exhaustion, sleep patterns, suicidality, or hopelessness. They might also ask about frequency and duration,” adds Shadick. “In most cases, a melancholy symptom should be present most days of the week for at least two weeks to be major.”

The Sort of Questions Your Doctor Will Ask

Here are a few typical questions from a couple of the more common melancholy screening scales:

• From PHQ-9: “In the last two weeks, how frequently have you ever felt down, depressed, or hopeless?” Your potential solutions include: Not at all, several days, over half the days, or almost every day. Feeling down for over half the days or almost every single day in the last two weeks indicates depression.
• From the HAMD: “Have you had any ideas of suicide?” Replies to the question let mental health professionals to rate the severity of depression. The individual being screened can reply as follows: Never, some thoughts of death, some thoughts of suicide, or some attempt at suicide.
• From the MADRS: “How is the sleep?” Responses include: becoming less than three hours of sleep during the night, or Sleep sleep reduced by at least two hours, as usual, little difficulty. Greater sleep disruption signals a better risk for depression.
• From the Beck Depression Inventory: “How is your energy?” Declines in energy level are a standard sign of depression — the more significant your dearth of energy, the higher your melancholy danger evaluation. Potential responses to this question include: As much energy as less energy than before, ever, not enough to do not enough to do anything, or much.
• From the Geriatric Depression Scale: “Do you prefer to remain at home instead of heading out as well as doing new things?” This question understands that withdrawal and isolation are common signs of depression and asks for a yes or no answer — particularly in the elderly.

Authentic depression is not the same as occasional periods of feeling down. The questions mental health professionals inquire when screening for depression try to determine how much they interfere with your ability to live life normally, and exactly how many symptoms of depression you might have, how long you’ve had them.

If you answer yes to some of these warning signs of depression, as well as your symptoms have been present for greater than two weeks, you could possibly be depressed. But do not forget: Screening for depression is merely the first step to helping you get better. Depression treatments work — so answer the questions as honestly as possible, and do not be scared to ask for help.