find out if I'm depressed without going to a doctor

Sorry twilightmom if you felt that my previous reply was directed to you, I meant it in general. :)

Unfortunately there isn’t much point in finding out whether or not you have depression unless you wish to seek help. Depression is serious and it is progressive in the majority of cases. If you don’t do something about it, it can get worse (much worse). Tell your mother to take you to the doctor and from there, complete the consultation privately. The doctor will assess you and give you a quiz of his own and then will ask you a few questions about your emotions and things that may be troubling you.

If your mother is dismissing your problems and treating a simple need for help as a babyish whinge, then she should not be present during the consultation. Do seek help because it can only benefit you. Do consult a general practitioner or registered nurse and if it turns out that depression is a real possibility, they can refer you to a professional. There is no shame in taking the initiative to help yourself so be strong :)! Nobody here can tell you if you’re depressed or not (though to be honest I don’t think we’d do a bad job). Seek help and don’t let your mother’s negative attitude hold you back!

You’re asking this question for a reason, so I’m guessing something is bothering you. Whether it is depression that meets the DSM criteria or not, at the end of the day, if things dont feel right, then something is wrong. Parents often dont want to admit something is wrong. Ignore the sarcasm and get yourself some help. And they’ll deal with it, whatever is wrong… talk to your doctor, or if possible, a school counselor

U can FM me if you like. List all of you symptoms– your mood,appetite,sleep patterns/changes. Tell me why you think you may be depressed. {=

Only a professional can officially diagnose if you have depression or not. Online quizzes and just listing down your ‘symptoms’ to someone other than a certified psychologist is not a reliable diagnosis.

Diagnosis should also be face-to-face ecause the professional can also tell a lot from your body language and the way you talk.

Not a psychologist but an RN and without knowing what all is going on there is no way to know who to refer you to Correct, online quizzes and tests in magazines are not dependable. Guess I should have stated the RN part in earlier post so I wouldn’t be blasted needlessly.

No harm done Mysterywolf–the important thing is our girl here gets help if she needs it! Blonde101–if you just need someone to talk to again, feel free to FM me or I’m sure the advisors wouldn’t mind if you contacted them. Sometimes just getting things off your chest or telling someone how you are feeling can make a difference.