About our online depression test

Important information you should be aware of before you take our depression test.

On this page: About Who can do the test Accuracy

Managing our mental health is something we’re all challenged with every day. Just as feelings of joy and happiness are a normal part of life, so too are those moments when we feel low or sad.

Feeling down isn’t unusual, but if these feelings persist, or are accompanied by a significant change in your behaviour, it could mean that you have depression.

If you’ve been experiencing periods of sadness, you could develop a better understanding of what this might mean by taking our depression test. The test contains nine questions, will take just a few short minutes and can help you to:

Make sense of how you’ve been feeling recently
Gain a greater understanding of the experience of living with depression
Give you some direction on what you should do next

Before you begin, please note that this test doesn’t provide a diagnosis for depression, but can be used as an initial indication of the likelihood of you having depression. Click the button below to take the depression test, or keep reading for more information on who the test is for and what your results might mean.

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What does the depression test look at?

The depression test is based on the PHQ-9, or Patient Health Questionnaire-9, which is an easy to use questionnaire for assessing patients for depression. The questions relate to many aspects of the real life experience of people who suffer with depression.

To get the best results possible, we suggest you read each question carefully and think about how often (if at all) you’ve experienced the challenge posted in the question in the last few weeks.

Who is this test for?

The depression test is designed for people who think they may be experiencing depression, have been struggling with their mental health in recent weeks, or want to know more about how they’ve been feeling and what they should do next.

If you’ve been experiencing any of the following issues in recent weeks, then you may benefit from taking the depression test:

You’ve found little interest or pleasure in doing things
You’ve seen changes in your sleep patterns and/or appetite
You’ve been feeling bad about yourself or felt you’ve let yourself or your family down
You’ve had spells where you’re feeling low, sad or down

How accurate is an online depression test?

This test isn’t a diagnostic tool. Mental health conditions can only be diagnosed by qualified mental health professionals after a full assessment. You can consider the results of the depression test to be an indicator of the likelihood of you having depression, and a helpful signpost to inform you on what you need to do next.

If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis, you should take action immediately:

Dial 999 for the emergency services
Attend your local A&E department
Contact your out-of-hours GP service. Google ‘out of hours GP in x’ (give your location)
Contact your local 24-hour NHS Urgent Mental Health Helpline

You might also consider reaching out to a mental health helpline if you feel like you need someone to talk to in a compassionate and non-judgemental way. You can find mental health helplines tailored to adults and children on our crisis support page.

Getting help for your mental health

If you’re experiencing challenges with your mental health, we would always recommend reaching out to a mental health service to gain a diagnosis or more information about treatment. You can do this either via your GP, or through a provider of private depression treatment like Priory. Use the information below to get in touch.