A Depression Quiz With More Face Validity Than a Depression Test?

People often use the term ‘depression test’ to refer to a simple checklist of depression symptoms.  However, psychologists reserve this term for a set of questions which has been tested for statistical reliability and validity using formal research methods.  A depression quiz, on the other hand, is a set of questions about the symptoms of depression in which the questions themselves have not necessarily been tested for statistical reliability or validity.

So it might seem to research psychologists  that a depression test is always preferable to a depression quiz.  However, I look at it differently.  A good depression quiz can have the following advantages over a thoroughly researched depression test:

• An informal depression quiz can contain the expertise and experience of particular clinicians whether or not there exist methods to test the validity of a particular question on the quiz.
• A depression quiz can be longer and more thorough since adding questions does not significantly drive up the total costs of research.
• A particular depression quiz can contain more focus on a particular perspective that one or more clinicians have found helpful to real people.  Such an angle or perspective may or may not be feasible to prove, since researchers often only agree on items that support the lowest common denominator among differing opinions.

The depression quiz that I am now writing for StepsForChange.com will be one based on years of experience assessing and treating people for clinical depression.  Seasoned therapists know that depression can be effectively diagnosed by asking the right questions and compassionate listening with experienced ears.  One of it’s important features is that it has a wider scope than many of the well-respected depression tools such as the Beck Depression Inventory.  Specifically, there are questions asked that pertain to the symptoms commonly associated with depression as well as causes.

In a nutshell, I believe that a well-crafted depression quiz has more potential bring out the information that is most useful for breaking free from the agony of clinical depression.  When I have completed my depression quiz, I will make it available on this page or link to it from this page.