Take Our Depression Screening Tool

“My score indicated that maybe it’s time to stop lying to myself and pretending I’m ok… I’m going to reach out.” – Age 31, Australia

Our Depression Check can help you get a better sense of the most common symptoms of depression and the impact they may be having on your life.

Each question asks about a different symptom and how it has been affecting you over the last two weeks. Depression consists of a lot more than sadness, so the questions aren’t only about your mood. Depression also affects:

  • How you think (for eg. your ability to concentrate or make decisions)
  • What you think about (for eg. thoughts of failure or pessimism about the future)
  • Your body and behaviour (for eg. lack of energy or poor sleep)

As you go through the Depression Check, answer as honestly as you can. Being honest with yourself about how you are doing is a key step toward improving your mental health.

After you complete and submit the Depression Check, we’ll provide some tailored tips and advice based on your score to help you better manage and improve your mental health.

There are also some overlapping health issues, like hypothyroidism, that can cause symptoms that are similar to depression. If your Depression Check score is high, it’s important to see a doctor who can help get you set up with appropriate treatments and rule out other potential health issues.

Whatever your Depression Check score is, there are ways to improve your life, and we’ll do our best to guide you. Taking the Depression Check on its own won’t lessen your symptoms, but putting the tips and advice we offer into practice will help you move forward on the road to recovery.

We often set aside our own health and prioritize things like work and other responsibilities, but depression is as real of an illness as any other, like diabetes or high blood pressure, and is best treated with support from a doctor and/or mental health professionals.  Delaying treatment when you need it only makes things worse.

    What is your gender?

    ManWomanNon-binary

    Please enter your age

    Over the past 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems

    Little interest or pleasure in doing things

    Not at allSeveral daysMore than half of the daysNearly every day
    Prev

    Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless

    Not at allSeveral daysMore than half of the daysNearly every day
    Prev

    Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much

    Not at allSeveral daysMore than half of the daysNearly every day
    Prev

    Feeling tired or having little energy

    Not at allSeveral daysMore than half of the daysNearly every day
    Prev

    Poor appetite or overeating

    Not at allSeveral daysMore than half of the daysNearly every day
    Prev

    Feeling bad about yourself — or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down

    Not at allSeveral daysMore than half of the daysNearly every day
    Prev

    Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television

    Not at allSeveral daysMore than half of the daysNearly every day
    Prev

    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

    Not at allSeveral daysMore than half of the daysNearly every day
    Prev

    Thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way

    Not at allSeveral daysMore than half of the daysNearly every day
    Prev

    Gender:

    HeadsUpGuys asks about gender to help us better understand our visitors, learn more about men's mental health, and inform the creation of future content.

    Your score is :

    score

    It’s time to take action

    Your score is quite high and indicates that you are struggling. Though you may be feeling overwhelmed, scores like this aren’t uncommon and many men have gotten better after facing similar struggles with depression.

    This level of symptoms should not be ignored. With symptoms this severe, it’s crucial to prioritize your health and seek professional support and guidance.

    Where to start:

    If you haven’t connected with a professional

    Read more

    It’s time to connect with a doctor and/or a qualified therapist as soon as possible. It may take some time to set up an appointment or find a therapist, but we can help guide you through the process.

    Why see a doctor?

    • Doctors can help assess your symptoms, identify what may be causing them, and connect you with other health professionals and local resources.
    • Our guide to consulting a doctor can let you know what to expect, what you can ask, and how to make the most of your appointment.

    GUIDE TO CONSULTING A DOCTOR

    Why see a therapist?

    • Therapists can help you understand where issues are coming from, work on recognizing and breaking negative thought patterns, and how to manage symptoms of depression.
    • Our guide to talk therapy has info on what therapy is, how it can work, and how to use it to better your health.
    • Our Therapist Directory lists qualified therapists who have experience treating men with depression.

    Find a Therapist

    If you have professional support, but don’t feel like you are making progress

    Read more

    Fighting depression is tough, and everyone’s journey looks different. It’s normal to have ups and downs on the way to recovery.

    • Talk to your supports (doctor and/or therapist) about how you are doing and ask about additional support or strategies you can try.
    • Consider adding to your support team. Finding the right team takes time and is part of the recovery process. This could include a combination of:
      • a family doctor
      • a psychiatrist
      • a therapist
      • a social worker
      • a virtual men’s/peer support group
    • Stick with your current recovery strategies and stay hopeful – if you’re using all your supports to their full advantage, you may just need more time to get to where you want to be.

    NEXT STEPS:

    GUIDE TO CONSULTING A DOCTOR Find a Therapist

    Learn more about depression and recovery

    Read more
    1. Read through our website to learn more about Depression in Men.
    2. Work on our Tips and Skills to support your mental health and improve your health overall.
    3. Browse our stories and articles. Some of our popular posts include:
    4. Learn how to reach out to friends and family for support.

    Fighting depression isn’t a race, and like most illnesses, there aren’t any quick fixes – but you can get better. Stay hopeful. Make your health a priority, connect with the right supports, and believe in your ability to recover.

    Try our Stress Test to help identify what’s causing stress in your life and prioritize what to work on. Your results can also help serve as a kick-starter for conversations with a doctor or therapist.

    TAKE STRESS TEST

    It’s time to take action

    Your score is indicating probable depression. This level of symptoms should not be ignored.

    With symptoms like these, it’s important to prioritize your health and seek professional support and guidance.

    Where to start:

    If you haven’t connected with a professional

    Read more

    Connecting with a doctor and/or a qualified therapist is a great first step. It may take some time to set up an appointment or find a therapist, but we can help guide you on your way.

    Why see a doctor?

    • Doctors can assess your symptoms, identify what may be causing them, and connect you with other health professionals and local resources.
    • Our guide to consulting a doctor lets you know what to expect, what you can ask, and how to make the most of your appointment.

    GUIDE TO CONSULTING A DOCTOR

    Why see a therapist?

    • Therapists can help you understand where issues are coming from, work on recognizing and breaking negative thought patterns, and learn how to manage symptoms of depression.
    • Our guide to talk therapy has info on what therapy is, how it can work, and how to use it to better your health.
    • Our Therapist Directory lists qualified therapists who have experience treating men with depression.

    Find a Therapist

    If you have professional support, but don’t feel like you are making progress

    Read more

    Fighting depression is tough, and everyone’s journey looks different. It’s normal to have ups and down on the way to recovery.

    • Talk to your supports (doctor and/or therapist) about how you are doing and ask about additional support or strategies you can try.
    • Consider adding to your support team. Finding the right team takes time and is part of the recovery process. This could include a combination of:
      • a family doctor
      • a psychiatrist
      • a therapist
      • a social worker
      • and/or a virtual men’s/peer support group
    • Stick with your current recovery strategies and stay hopeful – if you’re using all your supports to your full advantage, you may just need more time to get to where you want to be.

    NEXT STEPS:

    GUIDE TO CONSULTING A DOCTOR Find a Therapist

    Learn more about depression and recovery

    Read more
    1. Read through our website to learn more about Depression in Men.
    2. Work on our Tips and Skills to improve your health and support your overall mental health.
    3. Browse our stories and articles. Some of our popular posts include:
    4. Learn how to reach out to friends and family for support.

    Fighting depression isn’t a race and, like most illnesses, there aren’t any quick fixes – but you can get better, stay hopeful. Make your health a priority, connect with the right supports, and believe in your ability to recover.

    Try our Stress Test to help identify what’s causing stress in your life and prioritize what to work on. Your results can also help serve as a kick-starter for conversations with a doctor or therapist.

    TAKE STRESS TEST

    Things are looking pretty good

    Things are looking okay right now, but it’s important to continue checking in to monitor your mental health.

    • Our Tips and Skills can help you work on key life skills that can greatly benefit your mental health (like how to improve your sleep habits, physical activity, social life, eating habits, and intimate relationships).

    If you ever start to feel pulled down by the symptoms of depression, act early and reach out.

    Try our Stress Test to help identify things that might be causing stress in your life, which could put you at risk for developing depression if not managed appropriately.

    NEXT STEPS:

    Tips and Skills Take Stress Test

    Track Your Progress

    Here is a recap of your responses. You have the option to save your responses for your own use, or to print to bring to your doctor or specialists. We highly encourage you to save your results to record your symptoms and monitor your improvement.

    save your responses Retake Self Check

    Come back and track your progress

    • Many guys use the Depression Check as a tool to track their progress and know when it is time to reach out and take additional steps to improve their mental health. 

    Disclaimer

    Our Depression Check is based on a standardized and well established depression screening tool.[1] Though it is the same check often used by doctors and mental health professionals to help assess the presence and severity of depression, you should not use our Depression Check or any other quick assessment tool to make a diagnosis by yourself. 

    A Depression Check score is a general indication of how you are doing, not a label to judge yourself with. Men who’ve gotten the highest scores possible have recovered from depression. The Depression Check helps provide an assessment of how you are doing right now – it does not predict how you will do in the future. 

    Privacy

    This tool is anonymous and no personally identifying information is required. Contact information for our email newsletter (if you choose to opt-in) and your Depression Check responses are stored separately. See our terms, privacy, and conditions for more information.

    References

    1. Our Depression Check is based on the nine item self-administered Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The questions are based on the diagnostic criteria of depression from the DSM-IV. 

    Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. (2001). The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606–613. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x