How Does My Doctor Know It's Depression?
How Doctors Diagnose Depression
Your healthcare provider bases his or her diagnosis of depression on one or more of the following:
- your current symptoms
- your personal medical history
- your family's medical history
- a physical exam, including lab test results
There is no specific test that tells your doctor that you have depression. Instead, your doctor needs to look at your risk factors, your symptoms, and your current and past physicals.
For more information about depression, checkout the following links:
- Can depression cause heart attacks?
- Are depressed people more prone to addiction?
- Why are antidepressants the most prescribed drug in the U.S.?
- Emotions Quiz
- 10 Tips from Happy People