Rates of depression have skyrocketed during the pandemic. People are feeling sadder and more helpless due to a variety of issues caused by isolation, lack of income, restricted movement, etc.
A key question to ask yourself on any given day is “Am I sadder or angrier than I was before the pandemic?” Poor mood is one of the first indicators that we’re not processing stress the way we should. Stress is an imbalance between resources and demands. So when you have fewer resources and greater demands, you’re going to feel more stressed.
Researchers at Columbia University have developed the Patient Health Quesionnaire, a screning tool to measure levels of depression. The following is a version of this test. If you score 10 or higher, it might be worth looking into treatment.
Before you jump to any conclusions about your mental health though, let’s put things into perspective. Everyone is going to feel crappy from time to time but if the symptoms persist more than 30 days, you need to reach out for help.
The following is a depression scale quiz. For the nine situations below, simply answer this question, “Over the past two weeks, how often have I encountered or been bothered by this?” Use the scale of 0=Not at all; 1=Several Days; 2=More than half the time; 3=Nearly every day.
- Little interest or pleasure in doing things
- Feeling down, depressed or hopeless
- Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much
- Feeling tired or having little energy
- Poor appetite or overeating
- Feeling bad about yourself-or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down
- Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television
- Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed? Or the opposite-being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual
- Thoughts that you would be better off dead or or hurting yourself in some way
Scoring: Tally up the nine scores to see your level of depression risk. 5-9:mild; 10-14:moderate; 15-19:moderately severe; 20 or higher: severe
This quiz is not intended to diagnose depression but to give you an idea of your level of sadness. If you fall into the severe categories, please seek out a mental health professional such as a Psychologist, Psychiatrist or Licensed Professional Counselor. If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
As a hypnotist, I can work with alleviating causes of stress and maladaptive behavior but I cannot work with you on issues of depression or high anxiety. if you think I can help or wonder if I can help you, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 361-442-9590 or at [email protected]