It is common to see friends amongst us, who sometimes do not behave like their usual selves. Upon further probing, the common excuses are “it is just not my day”, “i am so stressed at work”, “i have a lot on my plate right now” etc. Some of these excuses might explain their difference in behaviour, but for some individuals therein lies a deeper problem which could be depression.

It is normal for most of us to have bad times when our mood is low. These feelings should pass in due course. If the feelings are interfering with your daily activities, and don’t go away after a few weeks, or if they come back over and over again for a few days at a time, it could be a sign that you are experiencing some form of depression, stress or anxiety

Click to watch Video on Mental Health by Mental Health at Work

You can do a self assessment to estimate how much you are affected

(ask yourself if any of the 42 statements applies to you).

1. I found myself getting upset by quite trivial things

2. I was aware of dryness of my mouth

3. I couldn’t seem to experience any positive feeling at all

4. I experienced breathing difficulty even at rest

5. I just couldn’t seem to get going                                        

6. I tended to over-react to situations

7. I had a feeling of shakiness                                               

8. I found it difficult to relax                                        

9. I found myself in situations that made me so anxious for no apparent reason        

10. I felt that I had nothing to look forward to

11. I found myself getting upset rather easily                                    

12. I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy                                               

13. I felt sad and depressed                                      

14. I found myself getting impatient with people                                               

15. I had a feeling of faintness                                              

16. I felt that I had lost interest in just about everything                                          

17. I felt I wasn’t worth much as a person                                         

18. I felt that I was rather touchy                                           

19. I perspired noticeably even at rest

20 I felt scared without any good reasons

21. I felt that life wasn’t worthwhile                                        

22. I found it hard to wind down                                            

23. I had difficulty in swallowing                                            

24. I couldn’t seem to get any enjoyment out of the things I did                                   

25. I was aware of the action of my heart even at rest                             

26. I felt down-hearted and blue                                            

27. I found that I was very irritable                                        

28. I felt I was close to panic                                     

29. I found it hard to calm down after something upset me                                            

30. I feared that I would not cope doing any some simple but unfamiliar task

31. I was unable to become enthusiastic about anything                                             

32. I found it difficult to tolerate interruptions to what I was doing                                            

33. I was in a state of nervous tension                                              

34. I felt I was pretty worthless                                              

35. I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I was doing                   

36. I felt terrified                                             

37. I could see nothing in the future to be hopeful about                                      

38. I felt that life was meaningless                                        

39. I found myself getting agitated                                        

40. I was worried about situations in which I might panic and make a fool of myself                    

41. I experienced trembling (like hands or legs)                                               

42. I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do anything

If you answered  YES to more than 50% of the questions, you are having some form of anxiety, stress or depression feelings.   Mark down the statements which apply to you to discuss with a psychologist or counsellor.

Do feel free to chat with a psychologist or counsellor to discuss any issues troubling you.  Remember that a problem shared is a problem halved !

Disclaimer. TELEME blog posts contains general information about health conditions and treatments. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The information is not advice and should not be treated as such. 

If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention from your doctor or other professional healthcare providers. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.