A few days ago in the post I called The Frog In the Pot, I described how easy it is to have really bad stress creep up on us. Depression can be sneaky in the same way. Here is a good self-evaluation to determine your risk of depression. Remember, moods come and go. Being sad isn’t being depressed unless you’ve felt down for over two weeks. In that case you might have depression and
may want to learn more about what to do about it.
Could You Be Depressed?
If you think you might be for real depressed, good place to start looking for help is your primary care physician. If you haven’t yet, talk to someone you trust, anyone who will be supportive and not just blow you off. If your score is over 70 call your primary care doctor right away to get immediate recommendations for treatment. The good news: There is a known effective treatment for this condition. Help is available.
And you can always call me with any questions or concerns!
To learn more about depression in general go to:
National Institutes of Mental Health.
And here is an educational pamphlet also from the NIH:
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy This book is a good place to start to learn what depression is and how the best known treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy works. More goods news: You are not alone!
Disclaimer:
The Beck Depression Inventory is a preliminary screening test for depressive symptoms that does
not replace in any way a formal psychiatric or psychological evaluation. It is designed
to give a preliminary idea about the presence of mild to moderate depressive
symptoms that indicate the need for an evaluation by a qualified professional.
