COPING WITH RAPE
ARE YOU DEPRESSED?

Quiz: Are You Depressed?

This quick, simple self-test can help distinguish between clinical depression and normal feelings of being "down in the dumps."

It's common to feel down from time to time. Many people experience sadness over job lay-offs, a relationship breaking up or undergoing difficulties, financial problems, the death of a loved one, or other losses. Sadness is normal. But when sadness never returns to gladness, it becomes  clinical depression, also known as major depression.  

If you answer "yes" to more than two of the following questions, you may be depressed. Consult your doctor or a mental health professional, and consider examining foods in your diet that contribute to depression - too much coffee, tea, coffee, sugar, and other foods ...

1) Much of the time, do you feel:

Sad? Lethargic? Pessimistic? Hopeless? Worthless? Helpless?

2) Do you often:  

Have difficulty making decisions? Have trouble concentrating? Have memory problems?

3) Lately, have you:

Lost interest in things that used to give you pleasure? Had problems at work or in school? Had problems with your family or friends? Isolated yourself from others, or wanted to?

4) Recently, have you:

Felt listless? Restless and irritable? Had trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting up in the morning? Lost your appetite, or gained weight? Been bothered by persistent headaches, stomach aches, or back aches? Muscle or joint pains?  

5) Have you:

Been drinking more alcohol than you used to? Been taking more mood-altering drugs than you used to? Engaged in risky behavior -- not wearing a seat belt? Crossing streets without looking?

6) In recent times have you been thinking about:

Death? Hurting yourself? Your funeral? Killing yourself?  

Adapted from guides produced by the National Institute of Mental Health's Depression Awareness, Recognition, and Treatment (D/ART) Program, Rockville, USA, the SA Mental Health Society, the US Psychiatric Diagnostic Manual

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