Sometimes a person finds a questionnaire about mood, answers the questions, and gets a number. Self-assessment tests — the Zung Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory — are used to screen for depression, but a diagnosis is made by a doctor based on diagnostic criteria.
What the HADS Scale Is
HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) is a self-assessment questionnaire whose result does not equal a diagnosis.
Its Place Among Self-Assessment Tests
Such questionnaires are self-assessment tests: the person answers questions about their own condition themselves. Various such instruments are used to screen for depression, including the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory.
Screening is not the same as a diagnosis. Depression is a serious mood disorder that can affect thinking, feelings, and daily life; even basic tasks — sleep, eating, work — can become difficult. That is why a test result is considered together with a specialist's assessment.
The Beck Depression Inventory and Other Tests
The Beck Depression Inventory is another self-assessment test used to screen for depression. Other similar instruments also exist, for example the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale.
How to Read the Result
The number from a test does not equal a diagnosis; it is assessed by a doctor together with the person's account, the history of symptoms, and an examination.
A separate note on stress: severe and stressful life events increase the risk of depression, and stress control is considered a habit beneficial for mental health.
What the Scales Are For in Diagnosing Depression
Self-assessment tests work as a first filter. They help notice that a condition goes beyond ordinary fatigue and give the doctor a basis for talking about symptoms.
Diagnosis takes into account that symptoms are present almost every day, for most of the day, for at least two weeks, and that one of them is low mood or loss of interest in most activities. The doctor takes a history and may order tests to rule out other causes.
Depression varies: major depression and persistent depressive disorder differ in duration — in the latter case, symptoms usually last at least two years.
- taking a medical history and family history;
- clarifying the duration and persistence of symptoms;
- medical tests to rule out other conditions;
- a physical examination;
- a specialist's assessment of mental state.
Why a Test Does Not Replace a Doctor and When to See One
Some illnesses and medications produce symptoms similar to depression, so an examination does not replace a conversation with a specialist: a diagnosis is made based on diagnostic criteria, not on a score.
A conversation with a doctor or mental health specialist is appropriate if low mood, loss of interest, or changes in sleep or appetite persist for weeks and interfere with living and working. Mental health is just another part of medicine, with its own examinations and its own specialists.
Help exists: treatment more often includes medications and psychotherapy, and for seasonal affective disorder, light therapy helps.
Anxiety or low mood on its own is not a reason to call an ambulance; 103 or 112 — if there is an immediate threat to a person's life.
This material is for reference: it describes instruments and their meaning but does not replace a doctor's consultation — the decision on diagnosis and care remains with the specialist.
Sources
Update history
Reader reviews
No reviews yet — tell us whether this article was helpful.
Leave a review
This content is for reference and does not replace a doctor's consultation. Medical disclaimer