Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, ASD
If you feel constant exhaustion, have trouble sleeping, and struggle with everyday tasks, check whether you might have a mental health disorder or are neurodivergent.
Depression and anxiety contribute to fatigue, and having ADHD or being autistic requires you to put extra energy into navigating overwhelming environments. Early detection of these states leads to better outcomes and higher well-being.
If you have never had an assessment for any of these states, try these short tests that clinicians use in practice as diagnostic tools.
Depression: The PHQ-9
People with depression feel down most of the time and experience little or no pleasure. Additionally, a person might experience unusual fatigue, trouble sleeping, and low self-esteem. Depression varies from mild to severe.
To screen and monitor depression symptoms, complete the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire) online.
Anxiety: The GAD-7
Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by persistent worry about everyday events with additional symptoms, such as tense muscles, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and trouble sleeping. If you want to evaluate your symptoms, take an online GAD-7 test (Generalized Anxiety Disorder).
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder): The ASRS
Individuals with ADHD have a nervous system that is different from that of neurotypical individuals. People with ADHD have trouble focusing on tasks that do not seem engaging. They can also be easily distracted, be forgetful, lose things often, and have trouble with time management. As for hyperactivity, a person might have difficulties sitting still or being quiet. Some people with ADHD have trouble controlling impulses.
The ASRS (Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale) is a screening tool you can try online to check yourself for ADHD.
ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder): The AQ-10 & The CAT-Q
Autism, high-functioning autism, and Asperger’s syndrome are outdated terms for describing autism spectrum disorder.
Autistic people have sensitive nervous systems that can be easily overwhelmed with too many stimuli, such as social contact, sound, taste, smell, and touch. Some autistic people have difficulty sustaining social relationships and understanding social cues. Additionally, people on the autism spectrum have repetitive behavior patterns that might seem excessive to neurotypical people.
The AQ-10 (Autism Spectrum Quotient) helps to screen for autism spectrum disorder. A score of six and higher indicates possible ASD.
The CAT-Q (The Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire) was designed for autistic people who learned to mask their neurodivergence. For example, women and non-binary people learn how to mask well. Masking autistic individuals might suppress fidgeting and imitate others’ behavior to pass as neurotypical.
What Should I Do With The Results?
Although self-diagnosis is helpful, you should have an appointment with a healthcare professional to have a proper diagnosis, treatment, and support.
It is possible that you might have a disorder that is not listed in the article, or you can have multiple conditions. For example, some people with both autism spectrum disorder and ADHD (AuADHD) can also have mixed anxiety-depressive disorder (MADD).
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