My OCD/Hoarding Blog

OCD Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Hoarding and my experience with them. My personal account of dealing with OCD/Hoarding and some poetry about it all.

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Location: United States

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Screening Tests for OCD and Depression (uni- and bi-polar)

One of the symptoms of my OCD is the constant need for reassurance. To this end, I often take online tests. As of late, these tests have pertained to OCD and uni-polar and bi-polar depression. What contributes to this need for reassurance is the fact that, as I've previously mentioned, my father, step-mother, sister and brother-in-law (if other relations apply, I'm not aware of them)have outright said, either to me or my daughter or one of us has over-heard comments, that I do not have OCD or depression. How they can doubt the depression is beyond me. I can understand them being skeptical about the OCD since, like other "OCDers", I have hidden it most of my life. However, since a psychiatrist said it is should be sufficient, yet, for them, it's apparently not.

None of them even knows that I have this blog, therefore, the "proof", if it is that, is for my own edification. I have included links for the screenings I have taken for those who may need them to get them to a Dr.

These tests haven't been used by me for self-diagnosis, but for validation of what has already been diagnosed by a QUALIFED doctor (which no one in my family is).

On this link, I scored 20, which indicates a "moderate" (score of 16-23) level of OCD. The score, for me, varies, dependant on stress and other factors. I have at least one symptom in every catagory.

Here's a screening for Uni-polar Depression on which my "answers reflect the presence of significant depressive symptoms. It is advised to seek a psychiatric consultation."

My Goldberg Depression Questionnaire Results were 57 which, according to their scale means "54 and up-Severely Depressed"

This one is to a test for bi-polarity, on which 17/19 of the statements applied to me for a total score of 21. From that site, it defines what the scores mean:
"Here's how to interpret your score:
19 or higher = bipolar spectrum disorder highly likely
11-18 = moderate probability of bipolar spectrum disorder.
6-10 = low probability of bipolar spectrum disorder
<6 = bipolar spectrum disorder very unlikely"

Some of the tests I took are the same of very similar to the ones I was asked to fill out when I went to the psychiatrist to be evaluated. I was more depressed at that time and under considerably more stress. While I do not know what my scores were at that time, I would fathom to guess that they were somewhat, if not significantly higher.

Does any of this actually prove anything? Probably not, especially to my family since I'm sure they'd think I deliberately responded to make myself SEEM OCD/Depressed/Bi-Polar. In the back of my mind, there is that possibility, but that's the self-doubt part of the OCD talking, more likely than not. The only thing that would fully convince me (and maybe my family, although they'd probably figure out some excuse for it being in-valid) would be MRI and CAT scans. Unfortunately for me, those are not routinely given to confirm a diagnosis of any of those.

Once again, I KNOW I shouldn't care what my family thinks, especially since they're so unsupportive, but if you suffer from any of these, you'd understand why it DOES matter.

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