Dipression

Posted on 01-Dec, 2019 by IrfanDoctor

Diagnosis

If a person suspects that they have symptoms of depression, they should seek professional help from a doctor or mental health specialist.

A qualified health professional can rule out various causes, ensure an accurate diagnosis, and provide safe and effective treatment.

They will ask questions about symptoms, such as how long they have been present. A doctor may also conduct an examination to check for physical causes and order a blood test to rule out other health conditions.

What is the difference between situational and clinical depression? Find out here.

Tests

Mental health professionals often ask people to complete questionnaires to help assess the severity of their depression.

The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, for example, has 21 questions. The scores indicate the severity of depression among people who already have a diagnosis.

The Beck Depression Inventory is another questionnaire that helps mental health professionals measure a person's symptoms.

Support hotline

National hotlines provide free, confidential assistance from trained professionals 24 hours a day. They may benefit anyone with depression who wants or needs to talk about their feelings.

Some of the support hotlines available include:

Samaritans: This nonprofit organization offers emotional support to anyone who has feelings of depression or loneliness or who is considering suicide. Call or text 877-870-4673 (HOPE) to contact them.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273- 8255 (TALK) to speak with someone from this national network of local crisis centers.

Lifeline Chat: This is an online chat service of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Is depression genetic?

A person with a parent or sibling who has depression is two-to-three times more likely than the general public to develop the condition.

However, many people with depression have no family history of it.

A recent study suggests that susceptibility to depression may not result from genetic variation. The researchers acknowledge that while depression could be inherited, many other issues also influence its development.

Learn more about whether depression has a genetic link.

Is it a disability?

Depression is the leading cause of disability around the world, according to the WHO.

In the U.S., the Social Security Administration consider depressive, bipolar, and related disorders to be disabilities. If a person's depression prevents them from working, they may qualify for social security disability insurance benefits.

The person must have worked long enough and recently enough to qualify for disability benefits. For more information, visit the administration's website.