Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Depression?

For a disease that strikes nearly 19 million Americans every year, depression remains remarkably hidden from view. Although its sufferers have included Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Georgia O�Keeffe, Jessica Lange, and Mike Wallace, to name a few, people still tend to hide depression from their doctors, from their spouses, even from themselves. As a result, millions never get the treatment they need. Would you know depression if you saw it? Would you know how to get help? Take this short quiz to see how much you know about this often-misunderstood disease.

1. Which of these is a symptom that a person may be suffering from major depression?

a. Suicidal thoughts
b. Insomnia
c. Loss of interest in pleasurable activities
d. A feeling of hopelessness and worthlessness
e. All of the above

2. Depression is rarely a disabling disease. True or false?

True
False

3. When it comes to long-term relief, counseling may be even more effective than antidepressants such as Prozac. True or false?

True
False

4. If depression runs in your family, there's little you can do to prevent it. True or false?

True
False

5. You've felt discontented and listless for a few years, you have trouble sleeping, you aren't getting along well with family and friends, and you feel an absence of joy and vitality in your life. Still, you never miss work and have generally kept your life on track. Finally, you see a doctor. What is the most likely diagnosis?

a. Major depression
b. Dysthymia
c. Anti-social personality disorder
d. None of the above

6. Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression) is essentially the same as major depression. True or false?

True
False

Last updated Sep 25, 2009

Copyright � 2001 Consumer Health Interactive, a CVS Caremark company

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