The Goldberg Depression Test

[Sisyphus]

Yesterday, I went to my school psychiatrist for the first time. While there, he asked me 18 questions from the Goldberg Depression Test. I ended up scoring a 67, so not too bad. lol I was wondering if anyone else has taken this test, or would like to take it. I'm curious as to how other people score. An online version of the test is available here...

http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?id=973&type=doc&cn=Depression08Unipolar9

[Lincoln]

67 according to that online test is "severely depressed". That doesn't sound very good. Perhaps time for Max Headroom to give way to Eeyore?

I just went through and answered the test in the most depressing way possible. The worst score is 85. It sounds like you are worse than simply bummed.

[CanadysPeak]

I got a 6. Keep in mind I'm still recovering from surgery, so I have a little fatigue, and do some things slowly, but it's all physical. So, some of my 6 should probably be dropped.

[Fuqin]

Ha ha ha ha ha I got 25 but I mean the questions pfft get real no way I get depressed and when I do its bad , but slit my wrists , I think not’ that was funny almost like the bomb threat cheek list I had when I did security work , 1. What’s your name , 2 where is the bomb, 3 will it go off ,and it gose to 50 LOL ahhh this world is just such a pitiful exercise sometimes , what a crack up.

[Sisyphus]

Lincoln,

lol Nah, I'll keep Max for now. I feel the same as I always do. It's just that seeing myself as a measurement, so far removed from what's considered normal, seems a bit surreal. I can't imagine scoring less than 10. I guess I partly expect most people to score near myself.

CanadysPeak,

I hope your surgery went well, and you are feeling better soon. If you retake the test, and want to change your poll option, you can. It's an open poll.

Fuqin,

The test isn't meant as a definitive diagnosis. Only a real psychiatrist can determine anything for certain. You can retake the test and do the poll again, if you want. Did you already post on the poll? I see someone scored between 36 and 50, but not 25.

[tess]

This is an example how Internet can be harmful.
There is a huge difference between clinical depression and commonly used word ''depression''.

You can catch a normal person during a difficult time in life / probably, why they search Internet for depression, feeling down/ and this test will tell them or diagnose: you are bipolar, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder or dysthymia.

Sounds frightening.

Does this Questioner ask the important questions like?

How long have you felt this way?
Have you seen a specialist?
How often do you feel this way?

Clinical depression is not the same as feeling sad or depressed. Depression seems to have a biological component. Probably, linked to changes in the functioning of neurotransmitters.
Definitely the diagnosis does not depend on some existentialism questions.

This is why we have millions of people taking unnecessarily antidepressants instead of seeking psychotherapy or just an ear of a good friend. / or just sail throught it as this is 'LIFE'/

Furthermore, this is why people ‘label’ themselves with a huge consequences to their well being.

[Fuqin]

Sisyphus I don’t now how it works I scored 25 an left , I was just curious , and no I didn’t take it as a diagnosis tool certainly not , hell the times I have consulted professional’s I walk away thinking which one of us needs help here , but without the little bit of paper they are apparently the more psychologically robust ( I have my doubts) personal philosophy gets me through [what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger].

[Paralith]

I scored a 24. Which I think may be a representative average for me. Sometimes I'm worse, sometimes I'm better. Sometimes I'm both, where I'm certainly aware of how dismally I feel, but I'm also aware that the reality of the situation doesn't really warrant such a negative reaction. In the past year or so I have been seeing a school provided counselor, more regularly during the spring semester last year, and these days just when I feel like I need it. She has given me some tools to help me deal with my stress and anxiety on my own, which is why I haven't been seeing her as regularly anymore.

I like how the beginning of the test says, use this to see if you need further professional help, or to track your moods. Everybody has bad days. But perhaps you have more - or less! Than you think you do. And simple awareness (a la mindfulness) of what you're feeling is, I think, a step forward in itself.

tess, I think the point of this test is to help people get a handle on their own state of mind and see if it seems advisable to take the next step. It's not like the instructions read, "If you score X or higher, get yourself on antidepressants post haste." My results came with text saying that I appear to have some symptoms associated with depressive disorders and that I might benefit from seeing a professional to get a real diagnosis. Which sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

[neuro]

Sishyphus,

why can't one score, for example, 15?

is there something wrong in scoring 10-17?

Or do you simply mean that if I scored 15 it is better I do not participate to the poll?

:°)

[Sisyphus]

neuro,

There is nothing wrong with scoring scoring 10-17. It's just that I forgot to include it in the poll. Thanks for pointing that out to me! :D

In case anyone was wondering, this test was created by American psychiatrist Ivan K. Goldberg.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldberg_test

[tess]

tess, I think the point of this test is to help people get a handle on their own state of mind and see if it seems advisable to take the next step. It's not like the instructions read, "If you score X or higher, get yourself on antidepressants post haste." My results came with text saying that I appear to have some symptoms associated with depressive disorders and that I might benefit from seeing a professional to get a real diagnosis. Which sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Sorry, when I goggled this test it come with a promise of a promise to diagnose bipolar

http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/bipolarquiz.htm


However, I still insist that the test will not make a distinction between clinical depression and the 21 century common definition of a depression. I.e. feeling down.

[Paralith]

Probably not. That's why the test ends with a recommendation to see a professional and get a real diagnosis.

[ronjanec]

I scored a 52...not very good. Well, at least I am not as depressed as poor Sisyphus!

[Jordan]

Forty-seven for me. Perhaps a little higher if I understood question 1 properly.

Q1. I do things slowly.

Does that mean procrastination or physically/mentally?

Are we doing this weekly? :¬P

[Paralith]

Does that mean procrastination or physically/mentally?

All I know is, I will start a day by telling myself "I WILL DO ALL THE THINGS!" and then by the end of the day I have accomplished half of one of the things. I think that counts as slow.

Are we doing this weekly? :¬P

Haha! Can we report the cumulative SPCF depression score on the home page? :p

[Lincoln]

[All I know is, I will start a day by telling myself "I WILL DO ALL THE THINGS!" and then by the end of the day I have accomplished half of one of the things. I think that counts as slow.

Or having unrealistic expectations, no?

[Paralith]

Of course not! GOOD grad students do everything instantly! Don't they? :p

[Jordan]

All I know is, I will start a day by telling myself "I WILL DO ALL THE THINGS!"

Thanks for the reply, based on this, not doing my chores just pushed me over to 'Severely Depressed'! I can't wait to tell mom, "but it will make me severely depressed, teh internets said so!"

Haha! Can we report the cumulative SPCF depression score on the home page? :p

Excellent idea! We also need to have individual stats in our profile!

Now to convince Bio... You first :¬P

[Lincoln]

Of course not! GOOD grad students do everything instantly! Don't they? :p

Well, yeah, but my graduate students are constantly disappointing me.

See phdcomics.com for a proper exposition of a senior prof's view of graduate students...

[Sisyphus]

Jordan,

I was wondering the same about another question. My psychiatrist told me it means whatever I think it means. Also, I like your profile modification. :)

Neuro or Paralith,

Is it possible to fix my poll to add the 10-17 range? :/

[Paralith]

Well, crap. I went in an added the other category, but it wiped all the previous votes. I had no idea it would do that.

VOTE AGAIN EVERYBODY!

[Sisyphus]

That's okay. I made it an open test so people could take the test over and vote again. Thanks anyhow.

[Jordan]

My psychiatrist told me it means whatever I think it means.

They stopped saying that to me after my answers to the Rorschach tests.

Also, I like your profile modification. :)

Fingers crossed for the next site update!

VOTE AGAIN EVERYBODY!

Yay! I can adjust for my chores.

I stumbled across an easier and quicker way to do partial quotes by accident just now. Highlighting the desired text in the Topic Review pane below the text entry box and clicking on the right hand quote button places it neatly in the text editor. Sheesh, that saves some fiddling.

[tess]

Those posts left me feeling ‘blue’’

The cream of our society feeling down.

Instead of antidepressant or psychotherapy I will leave with it

[tess]

PS

Just one more thought before I go. /sorry, but I listen to the song and this made me emotional/

We westerners, lost so much ability to feel happy and enjoy simple things.

We search for happiness so far that we don’t realize what we have on our step.

[newyear]

tess, I, at least, do not make happiness a gole to strive for.

A result of wanting to feel happy may just be the reverse of what actually happens, and the resulting psychological consequences.

I scored an uneasy 0. I say uneasy because perhaps this isn't normal either, so Sisyphus perhaps you feel better with your score than I do.

[Tinkerbell]

Lincoln,
I was reading through the comments regarding this matter and your response of the highest score being in the 85th percentile but upon farther research determining that the correct highest percentile would more likely be in the range of 90. I also gathered that you had said that you took the test answering the questions with what you thought would be 'the most depressing' of answers. You cannot accurately answer those questions thinking in the same mindset of the persons taking the test with a different mindset, maybe one of an actual person suffering from depression.

[Bethanini]

I scored a total of 78, I honestly don't see how it is possible for anyone to score anywhere below that,
I know I am not normal but below 10 seems impossible

[Watson]

Accordingly, you should be seeking professional help, if I understand this correctly. I'm not sure I see the need for all the questions. Two or three of these questions would be an indication.

Welcome.

[weronikakowalska46]

What do you think about test like this - http://depressiontest.club/

I hope that people know it's worth nothing...