Symptom Tests for Adults

[Self-Test] Depression in Adults

Depression is an extremely common and serious mood disorder that impacts roughly 14.8 million adults each year. Here, learn how the symptoms of major depressive disorder may present in adults, and whether you show signs of being depressed.

By ADDitude Editors Verified Medically reviewed by Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D. Reviewed on February 16, 2019
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If you have depression, you feel sad or deflated most of the day, for weeks at a time. Your sadness affects your performance at work, relationships with your friends and family, and even the things you used to love.

Depression accounts for nearly $12 billion in lost workdays each year in America. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with major depression than are men, but that doesn’t mean it’s not equally likely in both genders. It is a serious illness that requires swift diagnosis and treatment; depressive symptoms are a leading cause of suicide among adults.

Depression overlaps with ADHD in two distinct ways: as a separate, unique condition occurring on its own, and as a secondary condition triggered by the frustrations of living with ADHD.

Adapted from the Goldberg Depression Inventory (c. 1993). Not a diagnostic tool. If you have concerns about possible depression see a mental health professional. An accurate diagnosis can only be made through clinical evaluation. Self-Test for personal use only.


I don’t feel full of life.


In the middle of the night, I’m wide awake, even if I’ve gone to sleep only an hour or two earlier.


I worry that my friends are hanging out without me, and that they don’t like me anymore.

I do tasks sluggishly. Cleaning the house is a slow plod – like walking through thick mud.



The scale doesn’t lie, but I can’t understand how my weight has changed so much without being on a diet.



I feel sad and unhappy.


Simple tasks that I used to do seem so hard to do lately.


Even deciding which socks to wear in the morning is proving difficult.


I think about how I might end my life.



Things that I used to finish in a flash – like washing the dishes – seem to take forever to accomplish. 




Even when my friends extend a kind gesture or invitation, I feel sad.



My productivity has declined so much lately that I feel I will get in trouble or be fired by my boss any day.

I used to be high-energy, but now it’s almost impossible to get out of bed in the morning.

I feel hopeless about my future. 


I feel irritable in my skin all the time. It makes me constantly uncomfortable.


I don’t find pleasure or joy in life. 



My life seems set in stone. I feel stuck.


Even when reading a book that usually would interest me, I find myself reading the same paragraph over and over and then lose interest after a couple of pages.


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Depression in Adults: Next Steps

1. Take This Test: Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Adults
2. Take This Test: ADHD Symptoms in Women
3. Take This Test: Autism in Adults
4. Take This Test: Do You Have Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria?
5. Read: Is It ADHD, Depression, or Both?
6. Learn How to Treat Depression