To diagnose depression, several tests or gauges can be used. It is important that the individual see a doctor to rule out any medical conditions or complications that could be causing the symptoms. Then a mental health professional can obtain a thorough history and use either self-report measures of depression or overall personality to determine which symptoms the individual is experiencing at that time. No one test can provide all the information needed to confirm a diagnosis, but obtaining information from various areas provides a better understanding of the individual's experience.
Medical Exam
It is important for any mental health diagnosis, including depression, that the individual undergo a physical exam and blood work first to rule out any physical problems or medical conditions that may be contributing to or causing symptoms. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that conditions such as thyroid disease can result in similar symptoms to depression.
Mental Health History
An individual with depressive symptoms should seek help from a mental health professional. After ruling out medical causes, a mental health professional would want to look at the individual's history to better understand his symptoms. As discussed by the National Institute of Mental Health, the mental health worker should ask questions about family history of mental illness, the individual's own history, and the presentation of their symptoms, including onset, duration and severity. It is also important to ask questions about the individual's health, other medical conditions, use of drugs or alcohol and thoughts of suicide.
Self-Report Inventories
In diagnosing depression, many clinicians use brief questionnaires that clients can fill out themselves. According to Gary Groth-Marnat in " Handbook of Psychological Assessment," these questionnaires are quick and easy to give. For depression, brief questionnaires can be used to determine the depressive thoughts that an individual is having. Groth-Marnat lists these as commonly used questionnaires to determine symptoms of depression: the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale, the Attributional Styles Questionnaire, the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, the Cognitive Bias Questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory.
Beck Depression Inventory
The Beck Depression Inventory is one of the most widely used tests to determine depression. As reported by Groth-Marnat, the test asks individuals to rate the presence and severity of symptoms related to depression, such as sleep, appetite, weight, mood, guilt, self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, concentration, fatigue and loss of interest. Based on these ratings, individuals are given a total score, and their level of depression can be determined. While it should not be used exclusively for diagnosis, this test can help determine which symptoms an individual is experiencing at that time and how severe their reported depression is.
Personality Measures
Other measures that assess personality can provide information on the presence of depressive symptoms. Self-report personality measures, such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), look at several areas of functioning, one of which is depression. These kinds of measures can provide information on depression and the types of depressive symptoms an individual is showing at the time of the test as well.
References
- "Handbook of Psychological Assessment (Fourth Edition)"; Gary Groth-Marnat, 2003
- National Institute of Mental Health: How is depression detected and treated?
