You doctor, if he or she is like most others, will be very wary of your using an online depression test to self diagnose, and for good reason. These types of tests can of course be very useful, but not if they are done instead of seeing your doctor! So by all means use them, but do realise that your symptoms may be because of medical reasons, or even because of other psychological conditions.

Up until now the most commonly-used test for depression has been the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), developed by Aaron T Beck many years ago. That test had to be paid for each time it was used, wasn't freely available to the general public, and was quite negatively focussed.

A BETTER MEASURING TOOL FOR DEPRESSION

These days we have the Lifeworks Joy Inventory, developed by The Lifeworks Group Pty Ltd in Perth, Western Australia. It's a very accurate test, and a side benefit is that it's positively oriented, so that the act of taking the test begins to prepare the client to move forward.

The accuracy of the Lifeworks Joy Inventory has been thoroughly tested and mirrors results from other similar depression measurement techniques (such as the MADRS and the client's own SUDS).

And unlike the BDI, the Lifeworks Joy Inventory was developed for sharing, and is therefore free of charge and may be freely distributed.

You can find a link below in order to grab a copy of the test, and or even take the test online.

As explained in the test results, extremes can also be a cause for concern and also need the attention of a doctor and/or psychologist. Whilst a low extreme could be depression, it may also suggest other health problems. A high extreme could indicate an unhealthy denial of life's normal ups and downs.

AFTER YOUR TEST

Despite your suspecting that you may have depression, it's possible your test results show as "normal ups and downs of life". If that's the case for you, it's still essential that you see your doctor so that he/she can do a thorough physical exam and check to see that your lifestyle is supporting your optimum physical and mental health.

Once you have a proper diagnosis of depression you can embark on treatment knowing that any other medical issues have also been identified and will also be treated.

Please don't believe any health professional or web site which tells you that depression in incurable, or takes a long time to cure, or that you'll have to learn to live with it. All of those opinions have been well and truly discredited thanks to Australian research which shows depression can usually be completely cured within days and without drugs.

Effective treatment must always involve careful investigation and moderation of 17 lifestyle factors that are known to cause depression or aid in the development of depression, and also the elimination of unconscious thinking patterns (thoughts and feelings) which serve to damp down normal brain function.

After all, if your lifestyle is healthy and truly "life sustaining", and you feel mentally strong and optimistic, depression simply cannot co-exist with that state of affairs. You have a whole life to get on with.