Diagnostic Tests for Depression | How to Get an Accurate Diagnosis of Clinical Depression

Millions of people worldwide have symptoms of clinical depression or major depressive disorder.

Clinical depression is treatable. As a result, a depression diagnosis can start you on the path to a healthy life.

Depression Diagnosis and Screening: Your doctor may use diagnostic, screening, and evaluation methods to determine if you have depression.

Depression diagnosis and screening: current and emerging methods

Diagnostic Tests for Depression: How to Get an Accurate Diagnosis of Clinical Depression

Depression Diagnosis and Screening

Millions of people worldwide have symptoms of clinical depression or major depressive disorder, they can avoid this suffering and relieve themselves by seeking professional help, which begins with a doctor's initial diagnosis.

If you plan to go to the doctor to talk about depression, here, we have discussed diagnostic tests for depression that your doctor will ask you to take.

Remember that every test is not a test of depression. Some tests are not designed to diagnose clinical depression but aim to rule out other mental health problems whose symptoms may be similar to those caused by depression.

In most cases, your doctor will perform a physical examination and ask you to do a number of laboratory tests to make sure that your symptoms of depression are not caused by other health problems, such as thyroid disorders or cancerous tumors.

What Do Doctors Check During a Physical Examination?

What your doctor is trying to diagnose with a physical exam, in order to determine your major depression?

When a doctor performs the physical examination, he will focus primarily on identifying the presence of problems in the nervous system or in the endocrine system.

The doctor tries to diagnose health problems with projections and effects on symptoms that accompany clinical depression. For example, hypothyroidism - caused by a deficiency of thyroid function - is one of the most prevalent health problems that lead to symptoms of clinical depression.

In addition, disorders of the endocrine system may lead to characteristic symptoms of clinical depression, such as hyperthyroidism or Cushing's disease. 

Cushing's disease is a disorder of overactive adrenal glands in which the pituitary gland releases too much adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).

Many diseases related to the central nervous system or various injuries and wounds may lead to the emergence of clinical depression and a major depressive episode.

For example, clinical depression may appear due to one of the following factors:

Cancerous tumors of the central nervous system

Head injuries

Multiple sclerosis

Stroke

Syphilis

Various cancers (pancreas, prostate gland, chest)

Corticosteroid-based drugs such as Prednisone, which are given to patients with rheumatoid arthritis or asthma, have been shown to be associated with the onset of depressive symptoms.

 Other drugs, including anabolic steroids and Amphetamines, are stimulants, as well as over-the-counter medicines, such as appetite suppressants, that can lead to depression or weaning symptoms.

What tests will the doctor ask you to do to determine if you have clinical depression?

Your doctor is likely to tell you if you have clinical depression by conducting a physical examination and by asking focused questions.

In addition, your doctor may ask you to perform laboratory tests to rule out this illness and deny other health problems.

You are likely to be asked for a number of blood tests to diagnose other health problems that may cause symptoms of clinical depression.

The doctor will use the results of blood tests to look for symptoms of other health problems, such as anemia, hormone level, calcium level, and thyroid activity.

Are there additional lab tests your doctor may ask you to do to determine if you have clinical depression?

Your doctor may include other routine tests to determine if you are depressed. Routine blood tests may include tests to check your blood electrolytes, liver and kidney function. 

Since the liver and kidneys are the organs responsible for the elimination of antidepressants for clinical depression. 

This requires making sure that its activity is healthy so that these medications do not accumulate in the body.

Other possible laboratory tests include:

⇛Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to rule out serious diseases, such as tumors in the brain.

⇛Electrocardiogram (ECG) to exclude the presence of arrhythmias and blockages of coronary arteries in the heart.

⇛Electroencephalography (EEG), which records electrical activity within the brain.

Are there special tests to diagnose clinical depression?

After you talk to the doctor about your mental condition and its effects on your daily life, your doctor may ask you a number of questions that are part of an inspection and a survey designed to diagnose depression.

It should be noted that the inspection or survey is only a part of the medical methods and procedures that the doctor can use to diagnose depression. This survey provides your physician with information about your mental state, and your doctor may use it to make a definitive diagnosis.

An example of one of these types of surveys is a two-part poll, which has been shown to be an effective and reliable way to diagnose depression.

In this test, you are asked to answer two questions:

Were you worried about your sadness, depression or despair last month?

Were you concerned about your lack of interest in yourself or your loss of pleasure while doing things that you were interested in or made you feel fun before, during the past month?

If you give the correct answer to these two questions, this will determine what actions your doctor should take. Your doctor may ask you some additional questions to confirm that you are diagnosed with depression.

If your answers do not indicate that you are suffering from depression, your doctor may ask you to re-describe your symptoms, so that you can continue to look for the causes of these symptoms.

Research has shown that the above-mentioned questions, especially when additional diagnostic and evaluation tests are conducted with them, are an excellent way to diagnose most cases of clinical depression.

Your doctor may also use diagnostic, screening, and evaluation methods to determine if you have depression, including:

⇒Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is a self-study of 21 US questions that assesses the severity of depression based on feelings, emotions, and symptoms.

⇒Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, a short survey that identifies the degree of depression, from mild depression to severe and major depression.

⇒Diagnostic measure at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

⇒Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale - CES-D, a diagnostic tool that allows the patient to assess his feelings, behaviors, and expectations under the events of last week.

You may be uncomfortable when asked to genuinely answer questions, or provide the information you are asked to provide while answering survey questions or during the assessment.

The surveyor will ask you to answer questions about your mental condition, depression, perception, and physical symptoms that accompany clinically depression, such as lack of energy, sleep disorders and impotence.

Try to be as frank as possible when you talk about your symptoms. After that, your doctor will be able to accurately diagnose your condition and give you appropriate treatment.

What should you do if your doctor determines that you are suffering from clinical depression?

Depression is a disease that can be treated effectively. Therefore, a diagnosis of clinical depression may lead you to a healthier life, free from a sense of hopelessness, lack of hope and feasibility.

After your doctor has diagnosed you with depression, you must follow the instructions of your treatment program to recover.

It is important that you continue to take the medications prescribed for you according to the instructions.

It will be necessary to make changes in your lifestyle and you have to cooperate with a psychologist.