Top websites to help you understand depression
Depression is regarded as a serious and common mood disorder that negatively influences how you feel, think and behave. It makes an individual have constant feelings of despair and lose interest in activities they once enjoyed. It causes various physical as well as emotional problems, which affects the individual’s ability to be functional both at home and at work. However, using certain online depression tests can help you determine if what you’re feeling is natural due to circumstances or is a much more serious issue.

What causes depression among adults?

• Changes in the function of the neurotransmitters within your brain affects the way they interact with the neural-circuits responsible for the maintenance of mood stability causing you to be depressed.
• Genetics where depression is common among individuals with inherited traits from blood relatives that have suffered depression in the past.
• Personality and biological differences whereby individuals having low self-esteem may become overwhelmed by stress causing them to have depression.
• Changes in the balance of hormones in the body caused by pregnancy, menopause, and thyroid problems among other conditions can trigger depression.
• Environmental factors such as exposure to neglect, abuse, violence as well as poverty make people vulnerable to depression.

What is the symptom of depression?

• An unexplained prolonged feeling of sadness, emptiness or hopelessness.
• Constant and frequent feeling of irritability or frustration especially over small matters as well as angry outbursts.
• Loss or minimal interest in activities once enjoyed such as sports, hobbies and sex.
• Insomnia, experiencing regular sleep disturbances or sleeping too much.
• Increased fatigue, a constant feeling of tiredness, lack of energy especially when accomplishing small tasks.
• Lack or minimal appetite and weight loss, increased cravings for food and weight gain that is unrelated to dieting.
• An unexplained feeling of anxiousness, restlessness and agitation without a probable cause.
• Increased or slowed engagement in purposeless activities noticeable by others such as slowed thinking, body movements and speech.
• Feeling worthless, guilty, self-blaming and a fixation on past failures.
• Difficulties when thinking, concentrating, remembering simple concepts and making decisions.
• Recurrent thoughts of suicide, death and frequent suicide attempts.
• Unexplained physical aches and pains such as headaches, back pain.

How can depression be treated?

• Medications prescribed by your doctors such as antidepressants.
• Psychotherapy and cognitive behavior therapy.
• Electroconvulsive therapy, which is recommended for severe depression.
• Exercise and other brain stimulation therapies.

How can depression be prevented?

• Engage in activities that will help to control stress and help you to increase your resilience and boost your self-esteem.
• Reach out to family and friends, to help you through rough spells especially in times of crisis.
• Seek medical attention at the earliest sign of depression symptoms to help prevent depression from worsening.
• Seek long-term maintenance treatment to prevent a relapse of depression symptoms.

How can depression be diagnosed?

• Consult a doctor or a mental health specialist.
• Physical examination to check for coexisting conditions and physical causes.
• A short depression test administered online or by your doctor containing questions that help to determine the severity of depression.

What is the best online depression test?

• Goldberg depression test is a 3-minute test which helps to assess your level of depression.
• A depression self-test to help you figure out whether you are portraying any warning signs of depression.
• 2-minute depression test by Psych Central Staff helps with diagnosis and treatment of depression as well as tracking your depression and mood changes on a regular basis.
• Mental Health America online depression test for adults only.
• Here to Help’s online depression screening contains questions that help to diagnose depression as well as other mood disorders such as mania and anxiety.
• NHS depression self-assessment tool developed by Dr, Robert L Spitzer, Dr, Janet B.W. Williams, Dr, Kurt Kroenke and their colleagues.
• Black Dog Institute’s 10-questions online depression self-test.
• Psychology Today’s online depression test.
• Families for Depression Awareness online depression and bipolar self-test.