How do they know if you are depressed or not?

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I just wanted to know how doctors and stuff figure out whether you are depressed or have some anxiety disorder or other mental or emotional problems. Do they run like blood tests or something or do they just ask questions or do they just look at you and say "oh here take these antidepressants, they will help you". I was wondering because for the past several years or so I have been depressed (or so i think i am). I dunno i was thinking maybe it could be some other problem and depression is just a symptom. How common is it that doctors misdiagnose stuff like this? It just seems like for most people, when they feel they are depressed thats immediately what they think the problem could be but is it possible that it could be something else?

yes i know, i sound all weird and paranoid. its funny because thats how i feel too along with being depressed.

It's not a cut-and-dried diagnosis, like a broken bone. There's not really a way to go into your brain and measure serotonin levels, to the extent that it would even be useful. Maybe some day they'll come up with a simple way to do functional image studies of the brain (MRI), where they'll be able to see a signature that indicates depression.

As it is, a doctor might observe you, and if you are obviously depressed (you respond differently, your body language is different, etc.), he might ask you what's going on in your life. The main way to diagnose depression is in how you answer his questions....or what you volunteer. If you tell him you can't sleep, you can't concentrate, you feel crappy, etc., he might get the idea. But it's not like he can run a blood test. It's more of a judgement call.

can you explain to me what serotonin is and how it affects our bodies? Also since you said doctors pretty much make a judgement call, what happens if they prescribe medication for that person but they are still having problems later on? Do they prescribe another medication or try to find out if its something else?btw I have all kinds of weird symptoms, most of the time i have problems trusting people, i feel like shit all the time even though i eat healthy and take care of my body. I feel like the world is out the get me most of the time. I feel useless, i feel worthless, i feel like a burden to people etc. Lets just say all my feelings are more on the negative side.

There are lots of 'symptoms' of depression, feeling of hopelessness and emptiness are common, as is lack of sleep.........and a big thing about depression is a lack of sex drive, and motivation to do anything at all, but mope around and that makes it all so much worse......a lot of the time you yourself can't define, what is wrong with you, just a feeling that something is wrong, a doctor will take all this info and try to come to a disagnosis. I have had the same doc since i moved here 12 years ago and she has been with me for a lot of things, it was here who noticed something, as she is the kind of doc who will sit and talk to you, more than just write out a prescirption and away you go. She asked if i would take anti-depressant, and i didn't care either way, so i took them.............i hadn't realised i was SO depressed until, a week or so later, i kinda 'woke up' i found myself playing with my children, rolling about on the floor laughing for what seemed like the first time in years............and i cried a lot that day, realising how bad i was, and that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.........

For mental or emotional disorders doctors use a set of standard symptoms. Mainly they ask questions to see if you have the symptoms. They are not usually trick questions; for example, if you think you are depressed, the doctor will ask you about how you feel, changes in your eating habits, sleeping, whether you feel tired, that sort of thing. A few symptoms the doctor may be able to observe directly.There are no blood tests or other physical tests for mental disorders, but sometimes they might be used to rule out other possibilities that could give rise to some of the same symptoms. For example, feeling tired all the time could be a result of depression, but it could also be the result of anaemia, or some infections.

yea see thats what i was wondering about, like if there is something wrong inside my body to cause the depression and its not just some mental thing. I thought i was just being paranoid about it but i guess theres that possibility.

There are a lot of possibilities. Antidepressants, including SSRI's, are not the be-all and end-all in depression treatment. SSRIs are one type of antidepressant, that seem to help some people. One can try them, and if they don't work then can be stopped and something else can be tried. But sometimes talk therapy, or a combination of talk therapy and pharmaceuticals can do the trick.A psychiatrist is the best trained person to deal with those issues. It's not rocket science to prescribe Paxil at some reasonable dosage for your body weight, but a psychiatrist will be the most knowledgeable in choosing drugs and adjusting dosages, and whether drugs are even indicated at all.

When I thought I was depressed my doctor had me take a test that asked many different questions about how I feel and how I would react in a certain situation. They than compare my answers to there "answer sheet" (Lack of a better term") and helped determined what was going on. According to my answers I had slight depression but high/severe anxiety. I was put on Lexapro for about 2 months and was taken off, been fine since than.

ohh ok so there are some tests done. I am worried that I'll end up getting a doctor that will ask me a few simple questions and then prescribe me something just to get me out of his office and then leave me with a 200 dollar visit fee. Problem is i probably wouldnt even know if he was doing the right thing or not.

Well all I can say if find a doc you feel comfortable with and you can trust. And I'd be weary if they only as a few question and give you a drug. But they key is finding a doctor that you feel comfortable with as well as trust.

They only label your problem with anti- depressants, the bandage effect. Apparently doctors get a cut out of drugs they use in patients. Cuts = montary value ???

Apparently doctors get a cut out of drugs they use in patients. Cuts = montary value ???You're talking about doctors getting a kickback from drug companies for prescribing their drugs. Do you have more details, or are you taliking about a country other than the U.S.? If you're talking about the U.S., you need to contact the FBI with your information.