Depression Screening

A depression screening is also called a depression test. It's a standard set of questions that you answer to help your health care provider find out whether you have depression. Depression is a common, serious mental health condition.

Everyone feels sad at times, but depression is different than normal sadness or grief. Depression can affect how you think, feel, and behave. It makes it hard to function at home and work.

You may lose interest in activities you once enjoyed. Some people with depression may feel worthless and might even think about harming themselves. Depression may also be part of other mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder.

Because depression is a common mental health problem, depression screening is often done as part of a routine health checkup. Medical experts recommend that depression screening should be done for everyone starting at age 12. Screening can help find depression early.

And treating depression early may make recovery faster. Most people with depression will get better.

Why this test is done

Depression screening is often part of a routine checkup. You may also need depression screening if you show signs of depression, which may include:

• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
• Feeling sad or anxious
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness
• Trouble sleeping (insomnia) or sleeping too much
• Fatigue and lack of energy
• Trouble concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions
• Changes in your weight
• Thoughts of hurting yourself or suicide

If you are thinking about suicide or hurting yourself, get help right away:

• Call 911 or go to your local emergency room
• Contact a suicide hotline. In the United States, you can reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at any time:
• Call or text 988
• Chat online with Lifeline Chat
• TTY users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988
• Veterans can contact the Veterans Crisis Line:
• Call 988 then press 1
• Text 838255
• Chat online
• Call your mental health provider or other provider
• Reach out to a loved one or close friend

How to prepare

You usually don't need any special preparations for a depression test or a blood test.

Sample type

Blood

Other names for this test

depression test, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS and GDS-SF)