The following is a test you can take yourself to find out whether what you're feeling is depression, and, if so, how serious it might be. It's not meant to substitute for a visit to your doctor or therapist; it's intended only as a guideline.

This test was created by Pfizer, Inc., and is reprinted with that company's permission. The best way to use it is to fill it out and bring it to your therapist's office to discuss it.

Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems:

• Little interest or pleasure in doing things

  □ Not at all

  □ Several days

  □ More than half the days

  □ Nearly every day

• Feeling down, depressed or hopeless

  □ Not at all

  □ Several days

  □ More than half the days

  □ Nearly every day

• Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much

  □ Not at all

  □ Several days

  □ More than half the days

  □ Nearly every day

• Feeling tired or having little energy

  □ Not at all

  □ Several days

  □ More than half the days

  □ Nearly every day

• Poor appetite or overeating

  □ Not at all

  □ Several days

  □ More than half the days

  □ Nearly every day

• Feeling bad about yourself — or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down

  □ Not at all

  □ Several days

  □ More than half the days

  □ Nearly every day

• Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television

  □ Not at all

  □ Several days

  □ More than half the days

  □ Nearly every day

• Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed, or the opposite — being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual

  □ Not at all

  □ Several days

  □ More than half the days

  □ Nearly every day

• Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way

  □ Not at all

  □ Several days

  □ More than half the days

  □ Nearly every day

You can also take this test online and get your depression score and some suggestions for what you can do about it.

There are other diagnostic tools for depression, as well. One of the best known is the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a questionnaire widely used by doctors and therapists to evaluate depression and follow treatment response. There are many others available in a number of books, Web sites, and other resources. But your best bet is still to get a physical exam from your doctor and, if the cause of your depression is not physical, to look into treatment, either with therapy, medication, or both.