Are you suffering from Depression, Panic or Anxiety
Are you suffering from Depression, Panic or Anxiety
How to determine if you need assistance
Questions you could ask yourself to assess whether your stress or anxiety may require some professional help.
Shai Friedland - Clinical Psychologist
17 April 2020 | 2 minute readDepression Questions
| No. | Question | Yes | No |
| 1 | Do you feel sad or empty most of the time? | | |
| 2 | Are you experiencing a loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and/or activities that you used to take pleasure in? | | |
| 3 | Do you feel hopeless about life? | | |
| 4 | Do you often have feelings of guilt or helplessness? | | |
| 5 | Have your sleep patterns changed? | | |
| 6 | Have your eating patterns changed? | | |
| 7 | Do you feel tired all the time and have significantly less energy than usual? | | |
| 8 | Do you have thoughts of death or suicide and/or attempted suicide? | | |
| 9 | Do you feel more restless, irritable and/or angry than usual? | | |
| 10 | Do you find that you are having difficulty concentrating, remembering things or making decisions? | | |
| 11 | Do you have physical symptoms that do not seem to be responding to treatment? E.g. headaches, stomach pain, back pain, chest pain even if you have had it checked by a Doctor | | |
If you answered yes to question 1 and/or 2 and then you also answered yes to at least a further 3 or 4 of the above questions AND the symptoms have persisted for 2 weeks or longer please consider contacting a doctor/psychologist/counsellor.
Treatment is usually psychotherapy or a combination of therapy and medication.
Panic Questions
| Question | Yes | No |
| Repeated, unexpected “attacks” during which you suddenly are overcome with intense fear or discomfort and often for no apparent reason | | |
2. During the above “attack”, did any of the following occur?
| Physical symptoms | Yes | No |
| Pounding heart | | |
| Chest pain | | |
| Choking sensation | | |
| Shortness of breath | | |
| Nausea | | |
| Diarrhea | | |
| Stomach cramps | | |
| Sweating | | |
| Shaking or trembling | | |
| Light-headedness | | |
| Dizziness | | |
| Feelings of being detached from reality | | |
| Feelings of being detached from yourself | | |
| Tingling sensations or numbness | | |
| Hot flashes or chills or both | | |
3. Since the above attack have you had?
| Question | Yes | No |
| Consistent worry about having another attack | | |
| Worry about having a heart attack or going “crazy” | | |
| Change your behavior to accommodate the attacks in any way | | |
If you have answered yes to number 1 and then yes to 8 or more in numbers 2 and 3 combined then you should speak to your doctor/psychologist/counsellor
Treatment is usually psychotherapy or a combination of therapy and medication
Anxiety Questions
| Symptom | Yes | No |
| Excessive worry occurring more days than not | | |
| Unreasonable worry about a number of events or activities, such as school, work or health | | |
| The inability to control the worry | | |
2. Are you bothered by at least 3 of the following?
| Symptoms | Yes | No |
| Being restless, keyed-up or on edge | | |
| Being easily tired | | |
| Difficulty concentrating | | |
| Being irritable | | |
| Constant muscle tension | | |
| Difficulty with sleep in any way | | |
| Your anxiety is interfering with your daily life | | |
If you answered yes to 5 or more of the questions above please speak to your doctor/psychologist/counsellor
Please be advised that with anxiety you may also experience multiple physical symptoms as laid out in question 2 of the panic questions.
Treatment is usually psychotherapy or a combination of therapy and medication.
With Legal&Tax you're not alone
We are your trusted companion in helping guide you back to mental well-being. We offer a trauma assist benefit where you can get expert counselling.
For trauma assistance dial *120*15570# from your cell phone or call 084 124.
Get in touch with us for assistance.
Disclaimer: The content of this article was correct at the time of publishing, but the legislation or underlying information forming the basis of this article may have changed. You should always speak to a qualified Legal&Tax advisor before making any decisions.
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