Depression-self-assessment
By Zinn Jeremiah

Depression is the most commonly occurring psychological problem in the United States, with several estimates putting the number of depressed people at roughly twenty percent of the US population. While this percentage may not seem extraordinarily large on its face, as a number it may add up to sixty million people, or one in every five US citizens. Common though it may be, often goes undiagnosed and many depressed people may not actually be aware of their condition, while other people may suspect that they’re depressed but may not be entirely certain.

Though it’s reasonable and even wise to get diagnosed for by a mental health professional, other means for determining exist that can be carried out completely on one's own, outside of any type of clinical environment. These methods specifically take the form of personally assessing by participating in a self-assessment test. Self-assessment tests for are quite common, and in fact are often used in professional settings during efforts to make a mood disorder diagnosis. Studies have found that people are typically quite honest in answering questions about their mood, and this may be especially true when answering questions in written form.

Depression self-assessment tests aren’t some arbitrary question and answer form: they are typically simple to perform, but have been designed to be exceptionally accurate in testing for and are based upon established psychological principles. In addition to asking particular questions about a person’s state, symptom intensity and duration will also be measured by credible self-assessment tests. This type of inquiry can often distinguish between genuine and other, temporary mood disturbances.

Arguably the most popular of the self-assessment tests is the Beck Inventory, or the BDI. Aaron Beck, a psychiatrist and an advocate for cognitive therapy, developed the BDI. The BDI came into use in the early 1960’s and has since been copyrighted and used on a large scale. The Beck Inventory is composed of twenty-one questions with four possible responses each, with each response graded from zero to three. The BDI is completed entirely by the individual being assessed for depression, even when the BDI is performed in a clinical setting.

The Beck Inventory isn't the sole self-assessment test, and many psychological resources have developed self-assessment tests of their own. Because of the tendency for to be expressed in emotional and physical terms, many if not all self-assessment tests are broken into assessment for psychological and physical symptoms. The psychological and physical symptom results are then combined to make as accurate of an assessment of status as possible.

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About the Author:
Zinn Jeremiah
Zinn Jeremiah is a freelance writer. For help with depression, visit help depression or depression treatment.