Depression Self-Test

Based on: Depression screening (PHQ-9 style self-report), used here as a general wellbeing and low-mood check

This assessment focuses on a single dimension: your recent mood and outlook. It gently reviews the kinds of experiences that mental health professionals look at when screening for low mood, such as energy and fatigue, interest and enjoyment, sleep and appetite, concentration, and how hopeful or flat you have felt lately.

Rather than labeling you, the test gauges how many of these signals you are noticing and how strongly, then reflects that back as an overall picture of your current outlook. Low mood exists on a spectrum. Many people move through mild dips that lift on their own, while more persistent or intense patterns are worth taking seriously and sharing with someone who can help.

It is important to be clear that this is a screening-style self-check, not a diagnostic tool. It cannot tell you whether you have depression. What it can do is help you notice patterns you might otherwise brush aside, put language to how you have been feeling, and give you a useful starting point for a conversation with a doctor, counselor, or someone close to you.

Low mood can also show up in ways that are easy to explain away. You might notice you are sleeping more or less than usual, feeling irritable or numb rather than obviously sad, losing interest in things you normally enjoy, or finding that small tasks take more effort than they should. None of these on their own means very much, but together, and over a couple of weeks or more, they can be a sign that your wellbeing deserves some attention and care. Naming the pattern is not about labeling yourself, it is about giving yourself permission to slow down and, if you need it, to ask for support.

You answer a series of questions about how often you have experienced certain feelings and changes recently. Your responses add up to a single score, which falls into one of a few bands ranging from minimal signs of low mood to a more noticeable, persistent pattern.

The bands are meant to orient you, not to diagnose. Because everything here is based on honest self-report and your recent state, the result can shift from week to week as life changes. An AI-assisted summary explains your band in supportive, plain language, and higher scores come with a gentle nudge to consider reaching out for support.

This kind of check is a snapshot, not a stamp, and it works best when repeated over time rather than read as a one-off verdict. If your outlook has been low for two weeks or more, or is getting in the way of everyday life, that is a good moment to talk with a professional, whatever the score says. A supportive result is not a promise that everything is fine, and a concerning one is not a diagnosis, so let it guide your next step rather than define you.