Are You Depressed

What Are the Symptoms?\r You may be clinically depressed if you have most of the following symptoms:\r

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• depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, that may be noticed by others.
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• Loss of interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day
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• significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.
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• insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
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• psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day
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• loss of energy nearly every day
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• feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day
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• diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day
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• recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide
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Depression Test:\r Below is a common depression test developed by the psychiatrist Ivan K. Goldberg. The test result is NOT a final diagnosis! The scale cannot replace professional help. If you suspect that you might suffer from depression, you should contact your doctor, no matter what test result you get.

I have posted this test so you can see whether you have symptoms of depression or not and its severity. You can also use the scale to see if you are making progress in your recovery from depression. If you want to, you could print out the test and show it to your doctor. This might help him or her to assess your condition better.

The questions below refer to how you have felt and behaved DURING THE PAST WEEK. For each question, indicate the extent to which it is true, by using the following scale:

0 = Not at all 1 = Just a little 2 = Somewhat

3 = Moderately 4 = Quite a lot 5 = Very much

The Questions:\r

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1. I do things slowly
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2. My future seems hopeless
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3. It is hard for me to concentrate on reading
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4. The pleasure and joy has gone out of my life
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5. I have difficulty making decisions
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6. I have lost interest in aspects of life that used to be important to me
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7. I feel sad, blue, and unhappy
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8. I am agitated and keep moving around
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9. I feel fatigued
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10. It takes great effort for me to do simple things
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11. I feel that I am a guilty person who deserves to be punished
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12. I feel like a failure
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13. I feel lifeless - - - more dead than alive
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14. My sleep has been disturbed---too little, too much, or broken sleep
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15. I spend time thinking about HOW I might kill myself
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16. I feel trapped or caught
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17. I feel depressed even when good things happen to me
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18. Without trying to diet, I have lost, or gained, weight
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Now add up your total score. According to Goldberg if you scored:\r 0-9 Depression is unlikely
\r 10-17 Possibly minor depression
\r 18-21 Possibly on the verge of depression
\r 21-35 Possibly minor to moderate depression
\r 36-53 Possibly moderate to severe depression
\r 54+ Possibly severe depression
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Please note that this test result cannot give a you guaranteed assessment of your mental health. You should always consult a doctor if you feel depressed or if you feel that worries and anxiety have taken over and affected the activities of your daily life. Seeing your doctor and getting the right treatment quickly will dramatically improve your life, and the life of those who care about you.

I sincerely hope this helps. Dont forget you can freely post your stories and feeling of living with depression and low mood on SpeakOuts Forums (http://www.speakout.biz/forum).

I wish you the best of health.

If you are feeling down, need some one to listen to your problems or just need to chat one2one; then SpeakOut! is here for you. SpeakOut! is a caring community and we\'re here to help a broad range of people with a broad range of issues - including but not limited to depression, eating disorders, self injury, low self esteem, suicide, drug abuse, sexuality and relationships. SpeakOut\'s online community helps people get through the troubled times and celebrate the good times. You have the ability to post threads anonymously if you feel you have more discreet issues to deal with.

SpeakOut! is full of friendly and welcoming people that are here to help you - whether it is an official helper, a member, a forum moderator or an administrator. If you have a problem you feel that you need specific attention from SpeakOut! staff, you can open a help ticket in the one2one helpdesk and a SpeakOut! staff member will be there to help you, one2one to the best of their abilities.

http://www.speakout.biz

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