Exams and Tests

If you think you have depression, your health professional will ask questions about your health. He or she may also order other tests such as:

• A thorough physical exam.
• Laboratory tests, to make certain your symptoms are not caused by something else, such as an underactive thyroid gland or anemia.
• A mental health assessment, which involves an interview with a health professional.
• Written or verbal tests that can detect depression.

Your health professional may ask questions to determine how severely depression might be affecting you, including whether you are having any suicidal thoughts.

If you have ever experienced a period of abnormal happiness, irritability, or intense energy that lasts 4 days or more, be sure to tell your health professional. Manic episodes, or milder hypomanic episodes, along with depression, could mean that you have bipolar disorder. Some types of antidepressant medications can make symptoms of bipolar disorder worse, so it is important to diagnose your symptoms accurately.

Anytime you visit your health professional, it is important to discuss any symptoms that may be caused by depression. About half of all cases of depression are undiagnosed or undertreated.² Health professionals are being encouraged to ask routine questions about depression at all office visits.