Are there specific depression screening tests?
After discussing your mood and the way it affects your life, your doctor may also ask you questions that are used specifically to screen for depression. It’s important to keep in mind that the inventories and questionnaires the doctor may use are just one part of the medical process of diagnosing depression. These tests, however, can sometimes give your doctor better insight into your mood. He or she can use them to make a diagnosis with more certainty. One example of a screening test is a two-part questionnaire that has been shown to be highly reliable in identifying the likelihood of depression. When you take this test, you will be asked to answer two questions: • During the past month, have you been bothered by feeling down, depressed, or hopeless? • During the past month, have you been bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things? Your answer to the two questions will determine what the doctor does next. The doctor may ask you additional questions to help confirm a diagn
