Online depression test on Google ‘may prove dangerous’ and ‘do harm’ to patients, experts warn
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 asks about subjects including suicidal thoughts, appetite and sleep patterns
AN online test on Google for depression may prove dangerous, a psychology expert says.
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 asks about subjects including suicidal thoughts, appetite and sleep patterns.
Anyone searching for, “Am I depressed?” will be directed to it. Psychology Prof Simon Gilbody, of the University of York, said the chance of receiving a “false positive” was high and the test “may in fact do harm”.
But US-based clinical psychiatrist Ken Duckworth said offering a screening test for people who were already seeking information online “could raise awareness to improve identification and treatment”.
He wrote in the BMJ that the tool was not meant to replace clinical screening, nor did it constitute a universal screening programme.
Instead “it is intended to prompt informed conversations with clinical professionals and to suggest potentially helpful resources”, he said.
Google, which teamed up with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to offer the online tool to US users, said it should not replace expert diagnosis.
