The Best Mental Health Test: Do You Need Therapy?

Do You Need Therapy?

You are about to take the new, improved version of the Epstein Mental Health Inventory (EMHI), a brief test that will help you determine whether you might benefit from consulting with a psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, or other mental health professional. Designed by Dr. Robert Epstein, one of America's most distinguished research psychologists, this test screens for the most common behavioral, cognitive, and emotional disorders experienced by adults, based on standard diagnostic criteria used by psychotherapists.

The original version of the test was scientifically validated with an international sample of 3,400 people (Epstein & Muzzatti, 2011, Journal of Technology in Human Services). The new version has been made consistent with the "DSM 5," the diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association, released in May 2013. The new test is also far more readable than the original version. While staying true to DSM guidelines, the new test is written from beginning to end in plain language, avoiding technical jargon.

Please note that this screening tool cannot give you an official diagnosis; only a qualified, licensed mental health professional can do that. In addition, this test is intended for English speakers, primarily in the U.S. and Canada. If you are not fluent in English, or if you are from some other part of the world, the results might not be valid for you.

Answer each question honestly, and click only on the statements with which you agree. The test takes only about 5 minutes to complete.

Before we get to the inventory itself, we will ask you a few basic questions about yourself. Demographic information is being collected for research purposes only and will be kept strictly confidential. Remember: click only on the statements with which you agree.

Your initials: Age:
*Highest Degree: None High School Associates College Masters Doctorate	*Race/Ethnicity: White Black Hispanic Asian American Indian Other	*Gender: Male Female Other	*Sexual Orientation: Straight Gay or lesbian Bisexual Other Unsure	*Employed: Yes No

*How happy and fulfilled are you?
Low 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 High

*How much success have you had lately in your personal life?
Low 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 High

*How much success have you had lately in your professional life?
Low 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 High

*How fluent are you in English?
Not fluent 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Highly fluent

*Have you ever been in therapy?
Yes
No

*Have you ever been hospitalized for a mental health problem?
Yes
No

*Are you currently in therapy?
Yes
No

Thanks! Now here is the test itself:

1. Over the past year, I’ve had a lot of trouble sleeping because of all my worries.

2. For more than six months now, I've panicked or have gotten very nervous when I’ve seen certain things.

3. For a long time now, I've known that there's something wrong with my body even though doctors tell me I’m fine.

4. Since I was young, I've often avoided saying or doing things that might make people reject me.

5. For more than six months now, I’ve been unable to control how nervous I get around other people.

6. For more than a month now, I've been extremely tired during the day, even though I slept pretty well the night before.

7. For more than six months now, I’ve been very afraid of something, and that’s caused problems for me.

8. I sometimes feel like my mind is possessed by another person or creature.

9. Ever since I was young, morals or the law or have never stopped me from getting what I want.

10. For more than a month now, I've awakened feeling more tired than I was when I went to sleep.

11. Ever since I was young, I've always gotten in fights and caused trouble.

12. For most of my life, I've often had sudden urges to do things that make me feel bad or guilty later.

13. For more than a week now, I’ve been taking huge risks without thinking about what might go wrong.

14. For more than six months now, I've been scared and nervous in public, and this is a big problem in my life.

15. For more than two weeks now, I’ve been feeling extremely down and miserable.

16. For most of my life, I've had low self esteem and have been afraid of people rejecting or leaving me.

17. Since I was young, my need to repeat certain thoughts or actions over and over again has caused problems for me.

18. Sometimes I relive a terrible event that happened to me a long time ago.

19. For at least a month, I have sometimes lost control over the movement of parts of my body.

20. Over the past year, I’ve used more and more alcohol or drugs so I can deal with my problems better.

21. For a long time now, it’s been hard for me to get turned on or orgasm, and this has caused problems in my personal life.

22. For more than two weeks now, it’s been hard for me to feel happy doing things I used to enjoy.

23. For a long time now, I've strongly believed that something’s wrong with the way I look.

24. Over the past year, for no reason at all my mood sometimes changed quickly from very up to very down or vice versa.

25. Sometimes there are large gaps in my memory of recent events.

26. For at least a month, I’ve been seeing things or hearing voices which may not be real.

27. Every week for several months now, I’ve eaten a lot of food all at once and then made myself throw up.

28. For more than a few months now, I've been harming myself on purpose or have been doing risky things without thinking.

29. Over the past year, my drug or alcohol use has caused problems in my job or relationships.

30. Over the past year, my worries have gotten so big that my body is often restless, tense, or tired.

31. I still think much too often about a terrible thing that happened to me a long time ago.

32. I sometimes feel like I have two or more different personalities in me.

33. Since I was young, I've been unable to stop bad thoughts from occurring over and over again in my mind.

34. Over the past year, my moods changed so fast that people close to me got worried.

35. For more than three months now, I've been starving myself using extreme measures.

36. Ever since I was young, I've strongly believed I'm not good enough for many things in life.

37. For most of my life, it’s been hard for me to control my impulses.

38. For more than two years now, my depression has caused me to eat or sleep abnormally almost every day.

39. For more than a week now, I’ve slept very little, and it hasn’t affected me.

40. For more than two years now, my frequent negative moods have made it hard for me to focus or make good decisions.

41. Over the past year, I've had extreme mood swings that I don't think are normal.

42. Ever since I was young, I've never cared if my actions hurt other people.

43. For more than a month now, at times I've felt extreme fear or panic, and I worry a lot about when this will happen again.

44. For a long time now, I haven't felt sexual, and this has caused problems in my personal life.

45. For more than six months now, I’ve been avoiding something I’m very afraid of.

46. I'm very scared of things that remind me of something awful that happened to me a long time ago.

47. For at least a month, my thoughts and speech have often been chaotic and confusing.

48. Over the past year, I’ve been unable to stop worrying about things no matter how hard I try.

49. For months or years now, I've been obsessed with eating as little food as possible so I don't gain weight.

50. For more than six months now, I've been sexually attracted to weird things or situations, and it causes me a lot of stress.

51. For more than a month now, at times I've felt extreme fear and panic and I don’t know why.

52. For more than a week now, I’ve been feeling extremely important, almost like a god.

53. Ever since I was young, I haven't been close to anyone because I’m afraid of being judged or not liked.

54. For more than two weeks now, I’ve been feeling hopeless, like there’s no point in living.

55. For most of my life, my extreme mood swings have caused problems in my relationships with other people.

56. For more than six months now, I’ve been scared of making a fool of myself in public.

57. Over the past year, I’ve tried to drink less, smoke less, or take less drugs, but have failed to do so.

58. For more than a month now, I've frequently had trouble going to sleep or staying asleep.

59. For a long time now, I've never known why there have been so many problems or pains in my body, but I know they're there.

60. For most of my life, I've done things without thinking about the consequences, and that’s caused lots of problems for me.

61. Since I was young, I've had to do or think certain things over and over again to keep myself calm.

62. For more than two years now, I’ve been feeling down and negative almost every day.

63. For more than a month now, I’ve avoided certain places because I panic a lot when I’m near them.