Most of us have days where we feel lower, more fed up or stressed than other days. However sometimes these normal bad days can feel like they're happening all the time, and we may struggle to notice anything different.

How have you felt in the last two weeks? Have noticed you have been struggling with how you feel? Answering the following short questions can help you to decide whether you may benefit from seeking further support to help yourself.

They only take a minute or two to complete. Generally, the more concerned or bothered you are, the higher the score.

Please note: if you scored highly on Question 9 of the PHQ9 (thoughts about self-harm) we strongly recommend you seek support as soon as possible. Thoughts of self harm can be a very distressing part of depression or anxiety, but support is available from your GP, or the Samaritans (call 116 123).

this indicates no impairment. this is considered minimal depression, which suggests that you may not need depression treatment. this is considered mild depression. In response to this result, healthcare providers can use their clinical judgment about treatment based on the duration and severity of symptoms. this is considered moderate depression. Similar to mild depression, healthcare providers can use their clinical judgment and knowledge of the patient to determine a course of treatment. this is considered moderately severe depression. This generally warrants treatment for depression using medication, therapy, or a combination of the two. this is considered severe depression. This warrants treatment for depression using medication, therapy, or a combination of the two.

Patient Health Questionnaire-9

Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems? Not at all Several days More than half the days Nearly every day
1. Little interest or pleasure in doing things?
2. Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless?
3. Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much?
4. Feeling tired or having little energy?
5. Poor appetite or overeating?
6. Feeling bad about yourself - or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down?
7. Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television?
8. Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed? Or the opposite - being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual?
9. Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or thoughts of hurting yourself in some way?
Your result is 0, this indicates no impairment.
this indicates no anxiety. this indicates mild anxiety. this indicates moderate anxiety. this indicates moderately severe anxiety. this indicates severe anxiety.

General Anxiety Disorder-7

Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems? Not at all Several days More than half the days Nearly every day
1. Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge
2. Not being able to stop or control worrying
3. Worrying too much about different things
4. Trouble relaxing
5. Being so restless that it's hard to sit still
6. Becoming easily annoyed or irritable
7. Feeling afraid as if something awful might happen
Your result is 0, this indicates no anxiety.
this indicates no functional impairment this indicates mild functional impairment this indicates moderate functional impairment this indicates severe functional impairment

WSAS questionnaire

The WSAS questions are all scored between 0 (Not impaired at all) and 8 (Severely impaired) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1. Because of the way you feel, your ability to work is impaired
2. Because of the way you feel, your home management (cleaning, tidying, shopping, cooking, looking after home or children, paying bills) is impaired
3. Because of the way you feel, your social leisure activities involving other people (such as parties, outings, visits, dating, home entertainment, cinema) are impaired
4. Because of the way you feel, your private leisure activities done alone (such as reading, watching TV, gardening, craft work, walking, sewing) are impaired
5. Because of the way you feel, your ability to form and maintain close relationships with others, including those I live with is impaired
Your result is 0, this indicates no functional impairment

What do the questionnaires tell you?

The first nine questions (PHQ9) indicate the potential severity of any depression symptoms you may be experiencing. The following seven questions (GAD7) indicate the potential severity of any anxiety symptoms.

Scoring above nine on the depression questions can indicate you may be experiencing symptoms of depression and seeking clarification from a health professional is advised. Likewise if you score above seven on the anxiety questions we would suggest the same course of action. Generally the higher the score the more severe and persistent your symptoms may be and we would encourage you to consider seeking support from us.

However, it is important to interpret these scores in relation to each other, as the scores themselves do not prove the existence of a particular symptom. The longer we don’t address an issue the more of an impact it can have on our day to day lives, so it may be better to take some time now rather than putting it off.

If you would like to refer yourself for an assessment with our team please complete the online self referral form or call us on 0300 123 6020.

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