This free depression screening test helps identify common signs of depression. Educational self-check only — not a clinical diagnosis. 15 questions, instant results.
However this screening turned out, the most caring thing you can do now is take it seriously and gently. Here are five supportive next steps.
This tool cannot diagnose depression. If you are struggling, please reach out for proper support, and if you ever feel unsafe, contact a local helpline or emergency service right away.
Join our newsletter for practical, science-based tips on understanding yourself, your relationships, and how you grow.
Low mood is part of being human, but when sadness, emptiness, or a loss of interest settles in and lingers, it can signal something more than a passing rough patch. This free depression screening is a gentle, structured way to reflect on how you have been feeling lately across the areas that low mood tends to touch. It is not a diagnosis and cannot replace a professional assessment, but it can help you notice patterns you might otherwise dismiss and decide whether reaching out for support might be a wise next step. Approaching this with honesty and self-compassion, rather than judgement, will make whatever you discover more useful.
Depression is often imagined as simply feeling sad, but its reach is wider and quieter than that. It frequently shows up as a loss of interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy, a flatness where there used to be feeling. It can drain your energy, disrupt your sleep and appetite in either direction, cloud your concentration, and weigh down your sense of self-worth. Some people experience it less as sadness and more as numbness, irritability, or a heavy fatigue that has no obvious physical cause. Others notice it mainly as a loss of motivation or a sense that everything requires enormous effort. Because it can be so diffuse and can wear so many disguises, depression is easy to rationalise or overlook, which is one reason a structured check-in can be clarifying.
One of the most damaging myths about depression is that it reflects a failure of willpower or character. In reality, depression involves a complex interplay of biology, psychology, and circumstance, including changes in brain chemistry, genetic vulnerability, chronic stress, loss, and significant life events. Telling someone with depression to simply think positively is a bit like telling someone with a broken leg to simply walk it off. Understanding this can lift some of the shame that often accompanies low mood and makes people reluctant to seek help, sometimes for years. Depression is a recognised health condition, not a personal failing or a sign of ingratitude, and like other health conditions it responds to appropriate treatment and care.
Depression tends to be more manageable the earlier it is recognised and addressed. Left unattended, it can deepen and become more entrenched, affecting relationships, work, motivation, and physical health, and sometimes convincing you that this is simply how life is now. Paying attention to persistent changes in mood, energy, sleep, appetite, and interest is not about over-pathologising normal ups and downs; it is about catching a genuine downturn while support is most effective. A useful rule of thumb is duration and pervasiveness: if several of these patterns have been present most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks or more, that is a meaningful signal worth taking seriously and worth discussing with a doctor or mental health professional.
Depression is treatable, and most people improve with appropriate support. Talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy help by addressing the thought patterns and behaviours that maintain low mood, while interpersonal and other approaches address relationships and underlying difficulties. Lifestyle foundations, including movement, sleep, connection, and routine, provide real, measurable benefit and are worth protecting even when motivation is low. For moderate to severe depression, medication can help rebalance the underlying biology and is often used alongside therapy. Recovery can take time and patience, and setbacks are part of the process rather than signs of failure, but the overwhelming majority of people who seek help find that things improve. Reaching out is not a last resort; it is one of the most effective things you can do.
If this screening resonates, the most important step is to share what you are experiencing with someone who can help, whether a GP, a counsellor, or a trusted person in your life. Putting words to low mood often loosens its grip a little, and it opens the door to options you may not be able to see clearly from inside it. Building and leaning on a support network matters, because isolation tends to deepen depression while connection helps counter it. Be patient and gentle with yourself through the process; healing is rarely linear, and small steps count. And please remember that if you ever feel unsafe or have thoughts of harming yourself, you deserve immediate support, contact a local crisis helpline or emergency service straight away.
This screening offers a reflection of how your recent mood and functioning compare to common signs of depression. A lower score suggests your mood is generally steady. A moderate score may indicate some low-mood patterns worth monitoring and discussing. A higher score suggests you may be carrying a significant emotional load right now, and speaking with a doctor or mental health professional would be a caring and constructive step. This tool cannot diagnose depression; it is for self-reflection only. If you are struggling, please reach out for proper support, and if you ever feel unsafe or have thoughts of harming yourself, contact a local helpline or emergency service right away.