Test For Depression !LINK!

Around 17.3 million US adults have had at least one major depressive episode.2 Some 20% of women and between 10 and 12% of men will experience depression at least once in their life, says says Steven Hollon, PhD, of Brentwood, Tennessee, a professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University.

It can take weeks after depression begins before it is diagnosed. This is partly because people may be resistant to ask for help, says Rudy Nydegger, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology and management at Union College and chief in the Division of Psychology at Ellis Hospital, both in Schenectady, New York.

Test For Depression

Download 🔥 https://bltlly.com/2y2DXj 🔥

Adult women have a higher rate of depression at any given point in time (8.7%) as compared to adult men (5.3%). The age group that has the most adults who have had a major depressive episode in the past year is the 18 to 25 age group.4

Genetic factors do play a role in depression, but so do biological, environmental, and psychological factors.2 Unipolar depression (depression only) is less likely to be inherited than Bipolar disorder (which is marked by one or more manic or hypomanic episodes in addition to depression), says Steven Hollon, PhD, of Brentwood, Tennessee, a professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University.

Kimberly Drake is a freelance columnist, feature writer, reporter, and copywriter focusing on all aspects of health and wellness. Her weekly health column in the Lakeland Times, an award-winning newspaper in Wisconsin, informs her loyal readers on the latest health news and trends with a humorous journalistic flair. In her spare time, she serves as vice-chairperson on the governing board for Lakeland STAR School/Academy, a charter school specializing in the needs of students with autism. When not researching, writing, and editing, she can be found enjoying the benefits of gardening and weight training, or immersed in DIY projects.

Depression is one of the most common widespread mental health conditions globally and one of the most misunderstood. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that depression affects approximately 280 million people worldwide.

CONTEXT Unlike other areas of medicine, psychiatry is almost entirely dependent on patient report to assess the presence and severity of disease; therefore, it is particularly crucial that we find both more accurate and efficient means of obtaining that report. OBJECTIVE To develop a computerized adaptive test (CAT) for depression, called the Computerized Adaptive Test-Depression Inventory (CAT-DI), that decreases patient and clinician burden and increases measurement precision. DESIGN Case-control study. SETTING A psychiatric clinic and community mental health center. PARTICIPANTS A total of 1614 individuals with and without minor and major depression were recruited for study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The focus of this study was the development of the CAT-DI. The 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Patient Health Questionnaire 9, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale were used to study the convergent validity of the new measure, and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV was used to obtain diagnostic classifications of minor and major depressive disorder. RESULTS A mean of 12 items per study participant was required to achieve a 0.3 SE in the depression severity estimate and maintain a correlation of r = 0.95 with the total 389-item test score. Using empirically derived thresholds based on a mixture of normal distributions, we found a sensitivity of 0.92 and a specificity of 0.88 for the classification of major depressive disorder in a sample consisting of depressed patients and healthy controls. Correlations on the order of r = 0.8 were found with the other clinician and self-rating scale scores. The CAT-DI provided excellent discrimination throughout the entire depressive severity continuum (minor and major depression), whereas the traditional scales did so primarily at the extremes (eg, major depression). CONCLUSIONS Traditional measurement fixes the number of items administered and allows measurement uncertainty to vary. In contrast, a CAT fixes measurement uncertainty and allows the number of items to vary. The result is a significant reduction in the number of items needed to measure depression and increased precision of measurement.

The forced swim test (FST) measures coping strategy to an acute inescapable stress and thus provides unique insight into the neural limb of the stress response. Stress, particularly chronic stress, is a contributing factor to depression in humans and depression is associated with altered response to stress. In addition, drugs that are effective antidepressants in humans typically promote active coping strategy in the FST. As a consequence, passive coping in the FST has become loosely equated with depression and is often referred to as "depression-like" behavior. This terminology oversimplifies complex biology and misrepresents both the utility and limitations of the FST. The FST provides little construct- or face-validity to support an interpretation as "depression-like" behavior. While stress coping and the FST are arguably relevant to depression, there are likely many factors that can influence stress coping strategy. Importantly, there are other neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by altered responses to stress and difficulty in adapting to change. One of these is autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and several mouse genetic models of ASD exhibit altered stress-coping strategies in the FST. Here we review evidence that argues a more thoughtful consideration of the FST, and more precise terminology, would benefit the study of stress and disorders characterized by altered response to stress, which include but are not limited to depression.

While current diagnosis and treatment approaches are largely trial and error, a breakthrough study by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers sheds new light on the biological basis of mood disorders, and offers a promising blood test aimed at a precision medicine approach to treatment.

This comprehensive study took place over four years, with over 300 participants recruited primarily from the patient population at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis. The team used a careful four-step approach of discovery, prioritization, validation and testing.

Nearly 20 million Americans experience depression, but many will never seek treatment, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The Depression Self-Rating Test is a simple, 16-question quiz to help you identify common symptoms of depression and their severity.

Instructions: Write down one response to each item that best describes you for the past 7 days. After you have answered each question, tally the numbers from your notes to determine your depression score. The information below the form will help you understand your score and recommend follow-up actions for you to consider.

Symptoms caused by major depression can vary from person to person. To clarify the type of depression you have, your doctor may add one or more specifiers. A specifier means that you have depression with specific features, such as:

Medications and psychotherapy are effective for most people with depression. Your primary care doctor or psychiatrist can prescribe medications to relieve symptoms. However, many people with depression also benefit from seeing a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health professional.

Inherited traits play a role in how antidepressants affect you. In some cases, where available, results of genetic tests (done by a blood test or cheek swab) may offer clues about how your body may respond to a particular antidepressant. However, other variables besides genetics can affect your response to medication.

Stopping treatment abruptly or missing several doses can cause withdrawal-like symptoms, and quitting suddenly may cause a sudden worsening of depression. Work with your doctor to gradually and safely decrease your dose.

Most antidepressants are generally safe, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires all antidepressants to carry a black box warning, the strictest warning for prescriptions. In some cases, children, teenagers and young adults under age 25 may have an increase in suicidal thoughts or behavior when taking antidepressants, especially in the first few weeks after starting or when the dose is changed.

Anyone taking an antidepressant should be watched closely for worsening depression or unusual behavior, especially when starting a new medication or with a change in dosage. If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts when taking an antidepressant, immediately contact a doctor or get emergency help. ff782bc1db