Personal Inventory for Depression and SAD

This questionnaire may help you decide whether to consult a clinician about depression, whether Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) may be your problem, and whether treatment - with light, medication or psychotherapy - should be considered. This is not a method for self-diagnosis, but it can help you assess the severity and timing of certain symptoms of depression. you should answer these questions privately.

Part I. SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT DEPRESSION

In the last year, have you had any single period of time - lasting at least two weeks - in which any of the problems was present nearly every day? (Of course, you may also have had several such periods.)

Were there two weeks or more…

 

PART 2. HOW ‘SEASONAL’ A PERSON ARE YOU?

Select one number on each line to indicate how much each of the following behaviors or feelings changes with the seasons. (For instance, you may find you sleep different hours in the winter than in the summer.)

0 = no change
1 = slight change
2 = moderate change
3 = marked change
4 = extreme change

 

PART 3. WHICH MONTHS STAND OUT AS ‘EXTREME’ FOR YOU?

For each of the following behaviors or feelings, select the applicable months. If no particular month stands out for any item, select ‘none’. You should select a month only if you recollect a distinct change in comparison to other months, occurring for several years. You may select several months for each item.

Column A

Column B

 

PART 4. MORE ABOUT POSSIBLE WINTER SYMPTOMS…

In comparison to other times of the year, during the winter months, which - if any- of the following symptoms tend to be present?