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| Property | Value |
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| URL | https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/clinical-depression/diagnosis/ |
| Last Crawled | 2026-04-11 01:38:30 (2 days ago) |
| First Indexed | 2022-10-05 05:11:10 (3 years ago) |
| HTTP Status Code | 200 |
| Meta Title | Clinical depression diagnosis |
| Meta Description | Talking to your GP is the first step in diagnosis and treatment for depression. Find out when to talk to a GP and what to expect at your appointment. |
| Meta Canonical | null |
| Boilerpipe Text | Talk to your GP if you have symptoms of depression every day for more than 2 weeks.
You should also talk to your GP if you:
have symptoms of depression that are not improving
notice your mood affects your work, other interests, and relationships with your family and friends
have thoughts of
suicide
or
self-harm
Seeing your GP is the first step to getting treatments such as self-help, talking therapy or medicine. When you're depressed it can be difficult to imagine that treatment can help. But the sooner you get treatment, the sooner your depression will improve.
Talking to your GP about depression
Some conditions can cause symptoms of depression, for example an
underactive thyroid
. To rule out other conditions your GP may do a urine test or
blood test
.
There are no physical tests for depression. Your GP will try to find out if you have depression by asking you questions. They will ask about your health and how it is affecting you mentally and physically.
They'll also ask about:
your medical history
previous mental health difficulties
your home environment and lifestyle
recent triggers such as stressful events
if you've had thoughts of suicide or self-harm
Try to be open and honest with your answers. Describe how your symptoms are affecting you.
Confidentiality
Any discussion you have with your GP will be confidential.
Your GP will only break this rule if:
there's a significant risk of harm to yourself or others
informing a family member would reduce that risk
Content supplied by the
NHS
and adapted for Ireland by the HSE |
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# Diagnosis - Clinical depression
## Contents
1. [Symptoms](https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/clinical-depression/)
2. [Causes](https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/clinical-depression/causes/)
3. Diagnosis
4. [Treatment](https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/clinical-depression/treatment/)
5. [Living with](https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/clinical-depression/living-with/)
6. [Psychotic depression](https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/clinical-depression/psychotic-depression/)
Talk to your GP if you have symptoms of depression every day for more than 2 weeks.
You should also talk to your GP if you:
- have symptoms of depression that are not improving
- notice your mood affects your work, other interests, and relationships with your family and friends
- have thoughts of [suicide](https://www2.hse.ie/mental-health/services-support/get-urgent-help/) or [self-harm](https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/self-harm/)
Seeing your GP is the first step to getting treatments such as self-help, talking therapy or medicine. When you're depressed it can be difficult to imagine that treatment can help. But the sooner you get treatment, the sooner your depression will improve.
## Talking to your GP about depression
Some conditions can cause symptoms of depression, for example an [underactive thyroid](https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/underactive-thyroid-hypothyroidism/). To rule out other conditions your GP may do a urine test or [blood test](https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/blood-tests/).
There are no physical tests for depression. Your GP will try to find out if you have depression by asking you questions. They will ask about your health and how it is affecting you mentally and physically.
They'll also ask about:
- your medical history
- previous mental health difficulties
- your home environment and lifestyle
- recent triggers such as stressful events
- if you've had thoughts of suicide or self-harm
Try to be open and honest with your answers. Describe how your symptoms are affecting you.
### Confidentiality
Any discussion you have with your GP will be confidential.
Your GP will only break this rule if:
- there's a significant risk of harm to yourself or others
- informing a family member would reduce that risk
***
Content supplied by the [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/) and adapted for Ireland by the HSE
Page last reviewed: 9 April 2025
Next review due: 9 April 2028
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| Readable Markdown | Talk to your GP if you have symptoms of depression every day for more than 2 weeks.
You should also talk to your GP if you:
- have symptoms of depression that are not improving
- notice your mood affects your work, other interests, and relationships with your family and friends
- have thoughts of [suicide](https://www2.hse.ie/mental-health/services-support/get-urgent-help/) or [self-harm](https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/self-harm/)
Seeing your GP is the first step to getting treatments such as self-help, talking therapy or medicine. When you're depressed it can be difficult to imagine that treatment can help. But the sooner you get treatment, the sooner your depression will improve.
## Talking to your GP about depression
Some conditions can cause symptoms of depression, for example an [underactive thyroid](https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/underactive-thyroid-hypothyroidism/). To rule out other conditions your GP may do a urine test or [blood test](https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/blood-tests/).
There are no physical tests for depression. Your GP will try to find out if you have depression by asking you questions. They will ask about your health and how it is affecting you mentally and physically.
They'll also ask about:
- your medical history
- previous mental health difficulties
- your home environment and lifestyle
- recent triggers such as stressful events
- if you've had thoughts of suicide or self-harm
Try to be open and honest with your answers. Describe how your symptoms are affecting you.
### Confidentiality
Any discussion you have with your GP will be confidential.
Your GP will only break this rule if:
- there's a significant risk of harm to yourself or others
- informing a family member would reduce that risk
***
Content supplied by the [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/) and adapted for Ireland by the HSE |
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