Depression: What this single question could tell you about your mental health

A new study by New Zealand and international researchers has tested the diagnostic accuracy of a one-question test that could give busy GPs a quick, 15-second assessment for symptomatic patients. Photo / 123rf

Could doctors measure depression with a single question?

A new study by New Zealand and international researchers has tested the diagnostic accuracy of a one-question test that could give busy GPs a quick, 15-second assessment for symptomatic patients.

That question: how is your emotional quality of life now, with 100 being perfect and zero being the worst imaginable?

The study, published this week in the journal BJGP Open, found patients who rated their emotional quality of life as less than 60 were very likely to return high scores on two widely-used diagnostic questionnaires - indicating that a mood issue was likely to exist.

“In general practice, we often see patients on the worst day of their lives, or at least not the best day,” explained study author Professor Bruce Arroll, of the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.

“They may be feeling unwell with a health problem or struggling with the issues of everyday life such as family, work and finances.”

These, too, Arroll said, could present as physical health issues such as poor sleep, fatigue and bodily aches and pains.

“We work in short timeframes, allocating 15 minutes to each patient, and frequently go over time according to patient need.”

Having long been interested in developing faster tools for assessing low mood, Arroll had carried out validation work focused on two single questions.

“As part of my talking therapy for patients with distress, I developed a score of zero to 100 for emotional quality of life, where 100 is perfect, and zero is the worst imaginable regarding how the person feels now,” he said.

“The original idea was to use it as a monitoring tool for my patients over a period of weeks to see if they were progressing, but I found that it was also a very good tool for assessing mood.”

His work had shown the tool to be specific enough that, when a patient scored as low as 10 or less, they were 25 times more likely to have a low mood than someone with a higher score.

“The advantage of this tool is that it takes 15 seconds to administer and does not require the patient to read any questionnaires,” Arroll said.

“The research has found that a score of 60 or less is associated with a low mood. The flipside of this is that to flourish, we ideally need to feel 65 out of 100 or more.”

The study comes as recent Stats NZ data has shown a significant increase in the proportion of people with poor mental wellbeing over recent years.

It’s estimated that one in six Kiwis will experience a major depressive disorder at some time in their life, with rates more prevalent among females.

“The best thing most humans can do when feeling a bit low is to exercise, catch up with a good friend and do something in their life that brings them pleasure,” Arroll said.

“This is known professionally as behavioural activation. If that does not work, seek help by texting 1737 or contacting your GP.”

People concerned about their mental health could also visit the National Depression Initiative’s website to take free online tests for depression and anxiety.