12 Best Online Tools To Test Your Mental Health

1. Sanity Score:

   No definitive measure for sanity exists, of course, but PsychCentral’s Dr. John Grohol does offer an assessment all the same. Rather than diagnosing serious mental health issues, Sanity Score helps users gauge what’s going on in their heads so they can then carry the information over to a professional. Consider it an organizational tool

2. Do I Need Therapy? Quiz:

   Also by Dr. Grohol, this self-assessment makes it easy to see whether or not a potential patient actually needs therapy or not. Some mental health hiccups dissipate on their own, but sustained problems require addressing. Completing the short quiz immediately leads to information about how to find the right therapist, as well as the different options available for different needs.

3. Are You Being Gaslighted?:

   “Gaslighting” is a really, really trendy new catchphrase for an age-old, specific form of emotional manipulation that marginalizes and dismisses negative emotions as “crazy” or “sensitive” or “overreacting.” Which can, unsurprisingly, lead to depression, anxiety, stress, and compromised self-worth over time. Read over this checklist to see if anyone — a boss, parent, partner, or friend – might be chipping away at happiness by denying proper outlets for expressing legitimate concerns and emotions. Then read up on how to best address the problems both inter- and intrapersonally.

4. You Are Not Crazy:

   Trigger warning: You Are Not Crazy posts transcripts and recordings of verbal, psychological, and emotional abuse in order to teach victims and their loved ones how to recognize the common (and not-so-common) rhetorical techniques. While it obviously cannot provide diagnoses for the involved parties, anyone who feels as if they may be mentally suffering as a result of a verbally, psychologically, or emotionally abusive situation might want to explore the site. It might very well prove the resource that eventually leads to hope and healing.

5. the MoodGYM:

   Australian National University presents a resource (in English, Norwegian, and Chinese) outlining the usual strategies wielded by cognitive behavior therapists. While it isn’t the same as a therapy session, the online program provides an interactive experience meant to curb negative, depressive thoughts and behaviors. It empowers patients — mostly amongst the younger set — to better understand the strategies professionals use to quell their symptoms and better grasp their own recovery.

6. Family of Heroes:

   Right now, only certain parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia may access Family of Heroes, but it will likely expand in the future. The site reaches out to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and their loved ones using anonymous avatars and chats for therapeutic purposes. Participants can use it to access their risk and severity of symptoms in a comfortable, safe setting before moving on to professional assistance.

7. Shared Decision-Making:

   Through videos, websites, documents, and other resources, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration facilitates communication between patients and their doctors. Everything individuals need to know about their treatment options, rights, methods, and more are laid out and relayed easily and painlessly. Since knowledge is ostensibly power, this means placing more educational resources in the hands of those hoping to get well. Free DVDs and CDs containing the material are also available for those with erratic Internet.

8. The Reawakening Center:

   Quizzes, reading lists, coaching, and advice overflow at Aetna’s online center for depression and anxiety relief. Browsing its extensive library of resources will help those emotionally and physiologically struggling better understand the whats and whys behind their conditions. Gaining a clearer head about one’s own personal experiences with depression and anxiety disorders will certainly help before embarking on the road to recovery. Keep it bookmarked when searching for the best supplementary materials and exercises.

9. Depression Screener:

   Depression assessment tools seem to form the bulk of the online testing and therapy scene, which makes sense considering its unfortunate ubiquity. Here, Mental Health America provides a short quiz to help patients better grasp whether or not they suffer from the disorder and, if so, how severe their symptoms might be. In addition, the surrounding site overflows with some detailed resources on finding a therapist, coping, interacting with loved ones, and any other issue that crops up alongside a formal diagnosis.

10. Anxiety Online:

    Another Internet-based pre-diagnostic tool, this time covering a wide spectrum of anxiety conditions, including eating disorders. From there, it offers up free, custom sessions to meet a patient’s specific needs. However, the site does not advertise itself as a replacement for face-to-face therapy, but rather a solid idea of what the experience might be like before giving it a shot. It might help, but it is not meant to be a substitution.

11. Feardrop:

    For individuals with specific phobias, Feardrop lets them slowly conquer the issues at a comfortable pace using gradual exposure therapy. Registering means users can track their progress and map the levels of anxiety experienced as they make their way through the program. Automated feedback as well as generalized resources both supplement the digital treatment plan with some very useful advice.

12. beyondblue Symptoms Checklists:

    beyondblue serves as a sort of WebMD specifically about mental health, and the site’s staggering array of information should wind up on every patient’s bookmarks list. Users run the very same risks of self-diagnosing paranoia as the ubiquitous medical resource, but that doesn’t diminish the value of their Symptoms Checklist feature. Results can’t take the place of a real doctor’s input, of course, so please only use these to gain a general idea of what might be wrong.

Contacts and sources:
Christine Seivers
http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/blog/12-best-online-tools-to-test-your-mental-health/