Best List of Depression Tools & Anxiety Screeners for Different Disorders

Which Are the Best Depression and Anxiety Screening Tools?

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder These are all instances of mental health conditions that fall within the categories of anxiety or depression.

According to estimates, the global rates of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders climbed by 28% and 26%, respectively, in 2020, the year the pandemic began. Social workers, mental health specialists, primary care physicians, and others are still very concerned about these two common mental health disorders.

Various anxiety assessment and depression screening methods are used by doctors to help in the diagnosis and treatment of these mental health disorders. Because screening tools like the PHQ9 and GAD 7 are quick and simple self-administered surveys, they can boost the rate of detection for anxiety and depression.

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GAD and depression Resources for Evaluating Mental Illnesses

A few common screening methods for anxiety and depression are used to determine whether more testing is necessary to get a more precise diagnosis. Some, such screening tools for postpartum depression or OCD, are more focused and tailored to a particular illness.

This post will discuss depression and anxiety screening techniques, including both general and tailored screeners, and provide an overview of a number of these screening instruments.

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What Are Screening Tools for Mental Health?

Tools for mental health screening are used to detect any mental health issues early on. Resources such as depression assessment tool questionnaires, substance addiction surveys, and anxiety screeners assist medical and mental health professionals in determining which patient symptoms may require therapy.

Many mental health organizations believe that routine mental health screenings for conditions like depression and anxiety should become mainstream, much as regular physical health screenings are conducted for conditions like high blood pressure, cancer, and heart disease.

Better results are achieved when mental health disorders are identified and treated early, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

When using a screening tool for depression or anxiety, a person answers questions regarding their symptoms and indicates how frequently they have experienced each one.

What Are the Best Anxiety Screeners?

Anxiety is a constant and ongoing feeling of worry or being on edge. Feelings of anxiety can cause physical symptoms and severely interfere with a person’s ability to function as they would normally.

Several different disorders are under the umbrella of anxiety. These include:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Below is a list of some of the most popular anxiety screening tool options used to detect different types of anxiety disorders.

GAD Screener Tool (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)

GAD tools are designed to detect generalized anxiety, which is characterized by an uncontrollable state of constant worrying, excessive stress, and inability to concentrate.

• GAD-2 Assessment: The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2) GAD tool is a two-question rapid screener designed to be used in busy settings. If the total score is three or higher on this GAD assessment tool, it’s recommended to proceed with the GAD 7 tool.
• GAD-7 Tool: This GAD screening tool has seven questions related to anxiety. The first two questions that are on the GAD-7 make up the GAD-2 assessment. The respondent indicates how often they have experienced each of the seven symptoms listed within the “last 2 weeks.”
• Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A): This GAD screening tool has 14 questions, each being a symptom of anxiety. It includes both mental and physical symptoms. The HAM-A is one of the GAD assessment tools that ask the respondent to indicate the level of severity of each symptom.

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OCD Screening Tool

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by the inability to stop doing time-consuming, repetitive, and unnecessary tasks. Those affected, feel driven to these behaviors due to anxiety about what will happen if they don’t do them.

• Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS): This screening tool for OCD has 10 questions. The first five questions ask about obsessive thoughts and the other five questions in this OCD screening tool ask about obsessive behaviors.
• Obsessive Compulsive Inventory–Revised (OCI-R): This self-rating screening tool for OCD has 18 questions that relate to symptoms of OCD. For each question, the individual will answer how often they’ve been bothered by this issue in the last month.

Social Anxiety Screening Tool

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Social anxiety is also known as social phobia. Individuals with this disorder get distressed and feel anxious in social situations. This can interfere with their ability to function at work and in their daily lives.

• Brief Social Phobia Scale (BSPS): This is one of the social anxiety assessment tools that has a 5-point rating scale to rate the 11 items.
• Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN): This social anxiety screening tool has 17 items and for each of the items, the individual will indicate how often over the past week they’ve experienced the issue.

Panic Disorder Screening Tool

Panic disorder results in an acute episode where a person has a sudden feeling of anxiety and fear. Physical symptoms include increased heart rate, trembling, a choking feeling, fear that you are dying, and more.

• Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS): This seven-item panic screener is one of the panic disorder assessment tools that can be given to adolescents (13+) and adults. It can also be used to track symptoms over time.
• Panic Disorder Screener (PADIS): This is one of the newer panic disorder assessment tools. It’s a rapid screener with just four questions and can identify signs and severity of panic disorder.

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Tool

PTDS is a disorder that originates from experiencing a traumatic event. It’s often associated with those that have served in war zones but can include any type of traumatic event. It triggers an intense re-experiencing of those events.

• SPAN: The acronym SPAM stands for Startle, Physiological Arousal, Anger, and Numbing. This is a 4-item PTSD screening tool that was originally derived from the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS), which has 17 questions.
• Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5): This screener for PTSD was developed for use in primary care settings to help clinicians identify individuals with a probability of PTSD. It’s a 5-item PTSD anxiety screener.

Pediatric Anxiety Screening Tool

Anxiety assessment tools for youth are developed slightly differently than anxiety screening tools for adults so that they’ll be easily understandable. These anxiety disorder assessment tools for children often have sections for children to fill out and for parents to fill out.

• SCARED Screening Tool: The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) has a child version and a parent version. The SCARED assessment tool includes three options for how often a particular symptom of anxiety has been experienced.
• Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS): Pars is a generalized anxiety disorder screening tool for children and adolescents. It is filled out by the clinician and consists of 50 anxiety symptoms that include SAD, Social Phobia, and GAD.

What Are the Best Depression Assessment Tool Screeners?

Depression can have symptoms of sadness, hopelessness, and feeling anxious or worthless. Physical symptoms can include difficulty thinking and problems with sleep. Clinical depression is typically indicated when symptoms last for over two weeks and won’t go away.

Some of the main disorders associated with depression are:

• Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
• Postpartum Depression
• Bipolar Depression
• Psychotic Depression
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Below is a list of some of the most popular depression diagnostic tool options used to detect different types of depression-related disorders.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Screener

MDD is characterized by symptoms of depression that last longer than two weeks and that interfere with everyday life.

• Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2): This PHQ assessment tool has just two questions and is a rapid depression assessment tool. It can be used quickly in primary care or emergency room settings to identify potential depression.
• Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9): The PHQ 9 screening tool includes nine questions about the frequency of depression-related symptoms. The PHQ 9 assessment tool is often used after a PHQ-2 assessment indicates depression symptoms.
• Beck Depression Inventory (BDI): The BDI depression assessment tool is a 21-question assessment that is self-administered. The depression test score is based on a scoring of 0-3 per question.

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Postpartum Depression Screening Tool

Postpartum depression is a condition of extreme depression in a mother after giving birth to a baby. This condition can also include peripartum depression, beginning before the baby is born.

• Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS): In this 10-question postpartum depression screening tool the respondent indicates how often in the past seven days they’ve experienced the listed symptoms of postpartum depression.

Bipolar Depression Screening Tool

Bipolar depression is characterized by manic periods of very low mood and very high energy. Depressive symptoms occur during the lows.

• Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS): This is a bipolar depression diagnostic tool that is administered by a clinician. It includes 20 items, and for each, the severity of the symptoms is noted.

• Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ): The MDQ is a depression screening tool for bipolar disorder that is self-administered. Most of the questions are Yes/No as to whether the person has experienced the listed symptoms.

Psychotic Depression Screening Tool

Psychotic depression is characterized by severe depressive symptoms that are accompanied by hallucinations or delusions. The individual may be able to “see,” “hear,” or “feel” things that are not there.

• Psychotic Depression Assessment Scale (PDAS): This psychotic depression diagnostic tool includes 11 items that cover a variety of disorder symptoms. The PDAS leverages the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) questionnaires.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Screening Tool

Seasonal Affective Disorder is characterized by bouts of major depression that recur at a specific time of the year. SAD is usually associated with the winter months.

• Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ): This is a self-administered screening tool. The SPAQ depression assessment tool has six items used to evaluate the presence of SAD.
• Hamilton Depression Rating Scale – Seasonal Affective Disorder Version (SIGH-SAD): This SAD assessment tool is a version of the Hamilton depression scale that has eight additional items to address SAD.

Pediatric Depression Screening Tool

These pediatric depression screening tool questionnaires are designed to detect depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.

• Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI): This pediatric depression screening tool is designed to detect depression in children aged 7-17. It has two versions, one with 27 items, and one with 10 items.
• Children’s Depression Rating Scale (CDRS): The CDRS was created to diagnose depression in children aged 6-12 and has 17 items.

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Both Depression and Anxiety Assessment Tool

One of the popular rapid tools that screen both depression and anxiety is the PHQ 4 depression screening tool, which also includes two questions for anxiety.

The Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) uses the first two questions from the GAD screener GAD-7 for anxiety. It also uses the first two questions from the PHQ 9 screening tool for depression.

This combination of questions from the GAD tool and PHQ9 tool makes it a quick and easy depression and anxiety screening tool.

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Conclusion | Best Screeners for Anxiety & Depression

Tools for assessing anxiety and depression are essential for identifying and diagnosing potentially life-threatening mental illnesses. These mental health questionnaires address a wide range of diseases, from very specialized conditions like postpartum depression to more broad conditions like generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

To increase diagnosis and treatment rates, professionals in the medical and mental health fields should familiarize themselves with the most widely used depression and anxiety screeners for different diseases.

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