To diagnose depression, tests are used to determine the severity of the symptoms of the disease. They fall into two categories: objective and projective.
Projective tests measure responses to various stimuli, including opposite ones. During testing, the psychologist fixes the projection from the patient’s side of unconscious and conscious significant experiences. An example of such a test is the Rorschach test . They also use the incomplete sentence test and the apperception test. These two tests are also often used for the psychological assessment of depression.
Projective tests are based on the interpretation of the problem. Objective tests are based on objective assessments of the symptoms of depression. They are based on standardization, clear instructions, assessments, and interpretation of results. When interviewing a patient, questions are used to which he must answer unequivocally: “yes” or “no”, “false” or “true”. Questions should relate to feelings, mood, feelings, beliefs of the patient.
These tests are a test of Beck ( Beck to Depression the Inventory – the BDI), the Geriatric Depression Scale ( Geriatric to Depression the Scale – the GDS). These tests can be done in 5-10 minutes as they focus on the main signs of depression. Psychological tests may not be consistent with the clinical diagnosis.