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Depression
Are you feeling hopeless? Sad? Don't want to get out of bed?
We all get depressed from time to time. It's normal! This is called Situational Depression and is not something to be concerned about unless it begins to interfere with your daily routine, interpersonal relationships and employment. Then it might be time to seek out the assistance of a therapist.
So, how can you tell if it is situational depression or something more serious? You can take this easy assessment.
AM I DEPRESSED?
Below are twenty statements. Please rate each using the following the scale.
1 = Some or little of the time
2 = Some of the time
3 = Good part of the time
4 = Most or all of the time
Please record your rating in space to the left of each item.
_____ 1. I feel downhearted, blue and sad.
_____ 2. I wake up feeling as if I need more sleep even after 8 hours of sleep..
_____ 3. I have crying spells for no apparent reason or feel like crying.
_____ 4. I have trouble sleeping through the night.
_____ 5. My eating habits have changed.
_____ 6. I lost enjoyment of doing the things I used to like to do.
_____ 7. I notice that I am losing weight without dieting.
_____ 8. I have constant digestive problems.
_____ 9. My heart beats faster then usual.
_____ 10. I get tired for no reason.
_____ 11. I have trouble concentrating.
_____ 12, I am restless and cannot keep still.
_____ 13. I feel hopeless about the future.
_____ 14. I am more irritable than usual.
_____ 15. I cannot seem to make even simple decisions.
_____ 16. I feel as if I am needed by my family, friends or employer.
_____ 17. My life is pretty worthless.
_____ 18. I feel that others would be better off if I were dead.
_____ 19. I have felt sad for most of the day almost every day for two years or more.
_____ 20. I think about death as a release from my situation.
If you have found that you have scored a 3 or 4 on most of the questions, you should consider contacting your doctor or mental health practitioner. If you would like to discuss your scoring with me, please call 360-690-6550. I will be happy to discuss your various options.
Do you know someone who has been court ordered to have a mental health evaluation?
Do you know a child who has been suspended from school and may not return until he or she has a mental health evaluation?
Do you know a child, teen or adult who has difficulty with attention, organization, memory, impulse control or is socially inept? They may have a form of one of the six ADHD types, dyslexia, auditory discrimination difficulty, or Asperger's Disorder. There is help.
As part of her practice, Kathie provides various types of evaluations.
A court ordered mental health evaluation is a two hour face-to-face interview with the client and, if appropriate, one or more family members or significant other. A complete bio-psycho-social assessment tool is used during the interview. The evaluation includes, but is not limited to, information of family history, personal history, substance abuse history, abuse history, health questionnaire, medical and legal history. It includes a mental health status evaluation and "danger to self or others" evaluation. It inquires into the clients education history, including learning problems and/or deficiencies.
Cognitive evaluations focuses on how the brain processes information that is instrumental for learning and social interactions. Cognitive evaluations determine ADHD/ADD, auditory discrimination and dyslexia, as well as the level of cognitive distortion.
Kathie has been trained in the Sharper Mind Center's methodology, the Belgau Balametrics System for enhanced learning and is a certified provider of The Advanced Brain Technology Listening Program, a specialized music therapy program.