Should I Take A Test For Stress, Anxiety, And Depression?

Stress, anxiety, and depression each affect many people’s daily lives. Knowing which one(s) you may be living with, however, can sometimes be difficult to determine. The symptoms that often come along with each of these mental health challenges can be similar, but there are unique aspects of each that ultimately set them apart.  

Taking a depression, stress, and anxiety test can be a powerful starting point for improving your mental health. Although these tests do not replace the advice and counsel of a licensed medical or mental health care provider, they can help you gain insight into your symptoms and encourage you to seek help. When it comes to which depression and anxiety test to take, there are many options available, such as the teenage depression test and others. We’ll explore this type of tool in greater depth below. 

Should I take a test for stress, anxiety, and depression? 

If you’ve been feeling more stressed out than usual or haven’t been as interested in things that you usually like to do, it may benefit you to take one of these mental health self-assessments. Many health conditions may go untreated if you are unaware of them, so a stress, anxiety, or depression test may help you discover what’s going on and motivate you to seek support. 

The results of stress, anxiety, and depression tests are not a replacement for an official diagnosis from a qualified healthcare professional. However, they can be an effective preliminary assessment of the state of your mental well-being. If one of these tests indicates you might have a mental health disorder, it’s usually recommended that you discuss the results with a doctor or therapist. Even if the results suggest you aren’t experiencing stress, anxiety, or depression, this doesn’t mean you don’t have symptoms of one of these conditions, and you may still benefit from meeting with a healthcare provider. In all instances, it’s usually best to avoid jumping to conclusions or attempting to diagnose yourself through one of these depression and anxiety tests. Instead, speak to a medical provider. 

Seeking treatment for mental health concerns can be paramount. Those who do not may resort to self-medication, such as drugs and alcohol. Untreated stress and anxiety could also progress into depression and may put you at increased risk of heart disease and other health challenges. The sooner you reach out to a professional, the sooner you can start the road to healing and an improved quality of life.  

If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources. Support is available 24/7. 

Kinds of mental health tests  

There are many types of stress, anxiety, and depression tests available online that you can take on your own. Some of the tests consist of just 10 or 15 questions that you can answer in a few minutes. Others are more in-depth with 20 to 30 questions. Your responses to the questions will determine the results, and so you should aim to answer truthfully to receive a more accurate answer.  

The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Test is an official test developed by medical professionals. It’s designed to meet the scientific requirements of both research and professional clinicians. Note that this test should only be completed under the supervision of a qualified medical professional. It’s designed to detect the negative emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress and uses a scale rating system to measure the severity of a range of symptoms.  

When taking this test, you will be asked to work through 42 different questions and indicate the extent to which you have experienced a particular symptom or emotional state over the past week. Taking this test can give you an idea of how severe your feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress may be and help you discover whether you could benefit from treatment. 

The Depression Anxiety and Stress Test Scale (DASS-21) is another well-known test. The DASS-21 consists of three different scales that measure your depression, anxiety, and stress levels. Each of these has seven questions, and there are sub-scales with other questions related to each section. There is also a longer DASS test that has 42 questions, but the most commonly used is the DASS-21. This is a test you can do on your own, but it is used by psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists as well. 

Seeking support for stress, anxiety, or depression 

When feelings related to stress, anxiety, or depression impact your ability to engage in day-to-day activities, it may be time to seek support. Meeting with a mental health professional like a therapist can be a helpful place to start. They can offer you a safe space to express your emotions and can help you develop healthy coping mechanisms for your symptoms. If you’ve gotten positive results from a stress, anxiety, and depression test, you can also discuss them with your provider to figure out next steps. 

If your symptoms make it difficult to leave the house, you might try online therapy instead. It allows you to get matched with a licensed therapist and then meet with them remotely from home or anywhere you have an internet connection. Research suggests that online therapy can be a powerful resource for those experiencing mental health challenges like depression and anxiety. A growing body of research suggests that online therapy can be as effective as in-person therapy in many cases.