topic The little test at the gp? in Young people

The little test at the gp?

Ellxe — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 13:46:59 GMT

Whenever I have to go get a referral from the gp, I have to sit and take this mini test. It has the questions such as "do you feel nervous: most of the time, some of the time etc" and then at the end the gp adds up some sort of score.

Does anyone know what this test does/what it means or what the score mean?

The little test at the gp?

geoff — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 19:30:27 GMT

dear Ellxe, thanks for joining us, and what the doctor is trying to determine whether you are deeply depressed,
anxious, happy and then suddenly sad, because he/she is trying to find out how bad you are feeling, when it may come
to you, possibly the reasons because they have to then judge what type of medication you need, the dosage and whether
you need to see a psychologist.
If they prescribe you any type of medication for your condition which you don't have, then they could be up for
malpractice, so they have to cover themselves and know exactly what you are suffering from.
I would think that this is common practice, and it certainly happened for me years ago, and even when I go and see my doctor
he always asks how am I going.
There are many posts on this site that may interest you, and would certainly love to hear back from you. Geoff.

The little test at the gp?

Guest_5218 — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 22:01:43 GMT

Hi there Ellxe,

The test you are referring to is likely to be what's called a K10 Test for Psychological Distress. It is a simple 10 question test focusing on the signs and symptoms of Depression and Anxiety. Your GP would be using it as a monitoring tool just to see how you are going.

There is also another test which he may use of 42 similar questions. It is called a DASS-42 and measures Depression, Anxiety and Stress.

You asked about what the score means in the K10 Test, but did not mention the score you got. You can look it up on the Internet, just search for K10 Test or K10 Assessment. It will tell you all about it there, and you can even take the test on-line yourself and see what score you get.

Hope this helps Ellxe........

Sherie xx

The little test at the gp?

Ellxe — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 04:42:42 GMT

Thanks for answering,

I was just curious about the test because I have to do everything I get a referral.

Thank you for your help, Geoff

The little test at the gp?

Ellxe — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 04:45:43 GMT

Hi Sherie,

Thank you for answering,

I've done the online test and my score was 42 but the test score at the gp was 28(mins you I last did the gp test 4 months ago)

Thank you heaps!

The little test at the gp?

Guest_5218 — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 05:23:18 GMT

Yes, thats right Ellxe, it will vary depending on how you are feeling at the time. It can fluctuation quite a lot over 4 months, as you have found. And thats why your GP does it. It gives him a good guide as to how you are feeling on the day and the week previous to the test. After doing the test online you can see how your feelings could vary quite a bit from time to time, thus resulting in a different score.

Is there anything in particular that is causing you any extra psychological distress just now? Feel free to discuss it here, as there are many people on the Site who are very willing to offer advice and support. It is a very safe and anonymous environment, so dont feel shy about discussing anything that is bothering you.

Kind regards,

Sherie xx

The little test at the gp?

Ellxe — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 13:58:51 GMT

Hi again Sherie,

I'm honestly not overly sure why I've been a lot more upset over the past 3 or 4 weeks. I partly put it down to be isolated from my friends during the school holidays and not having a set routine. Hopefully I'll feel better once I've settled back into a routine and I'm back at school.

Thanks again.

The little test at the gp?

Guest_5218 — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 20:30:42 GMT

Yeah lets hope so. Oh well, back to school for you soon.

But keep in touch, wont you?

There is always someone here to discuss things with you, if you need to. ( - :

Sherie xx

The little test at the gp?

Sparkles183 — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 22:02:59 GMT

Hi Ellxe,

I been reading over your post and just a quick thought, it is best not to let them test determine who you really are or your identity. I have done them test many of times. I have found quite often I look at the score and if I have a high score I get anxious and it makes my depression worse. Often we can do the test one week and have a difrent score the next week it depends on circumstances. And although it says in the last 4 weeks I find I quite often do the test based on how I am feeling that day.

Personly I don't really like doing them and I have let my psych know this but as she said in my last session last year when she got me to do the dass 42 once again she knows I don't like doing them but they are important to help my healthcare team know my process and how I am doing..

take care and hope things get better..

sparkles