How Accurate Is An Anxiety Test Online? Will It Help?
Medically Reviewed By Whitney White, MS. CMHC, NCC., LPCMany individuals live with anxiety. While some anxiety is normal as a reaction to certain situations, disordered anxiety is different. But what if you’re in a position where you don’t feel ready yet to seek help or more information by talking with a therapist? Is an online anxiety test a viable substitute? What can it reveal about your mental state, and will it ultimately help with your anxiety?
What Is Anxiety?
First, you need to understand the difference between normal anxiety levels and ones that indicate a problem. Clinical anxiety is different from the occasional feeling of nervousness or worries you might get in specific situations. The sort of anxiety to which we refer is a persistent state of concern, fear, or worry.
When you feel anxious in this way, it can manifest itself through various physical symptoms. If faced with one of the situations that makes you uneasy, your heart might race. You may sweat an abnormal amount. Your skin might feel clammy to the touch, or you might have trouble catching your breath. It might be something you see on the news that upsets you, or it might be the notion of leaving the house that triggers these responses. It might be meeting new people or interacting socially in general.
The Online Anxiety Test
What is appealing about the online anxiety test is that you can take it in private. You might take it on your phone, laptop, or desktop, but in any of those scenarios, you don’t have to leave your home. If you’re one of those individuals who grow anxious when you’re away from the order and serenity of your house or apartment, then this might seem like an ideal solution.
With most of these tests, the format is the same. You answer some multiple-choice questions and based on your answers. You get a score or an outcome at the end, which tells you whether you likely have anxiety or not. The questions might be along the lines of “are there occasions or instances which you encounter every day, which make you feel nervous or anxious,” or “do you often feel afraid or worried?” You might answer on a scale from “always” to “never,” or a simple yes-or-no answer might be all that is required. In most cases, these anxiety tests or quizzes are free.
Some Of The Better Anxiety Tests Online
Psychologytoday.com is one of the better-known sites that offers an anxiety test. At the end of it, you’ll get a snapshot report that comes with a graph and a summary evaluation. You can purchase a complete version of the report for $6.95, but you don’t need to do so. Take note, though, that any anxiety test completed online should have a disclaimer like the one on Psychology Today, which indicates that the test isn’t a substitute for a professional evaluation or diagnosis from a licensed mental health professional.
Psy.com Anxiety Test
The website psy.com also has an anxiety test that you can take. This one asks questions like, “does worry or anxiety make you feel fatigued or irritable?” The answers range from “never” to “very often.” The format is like the psychologytoday.com quiz, and the psy.com one takes only an average of three minutes to complete.
What Do These Quizzes Reveal About Your Mental State?
As for what these quizzes can tell you about your mental state, that’s not always the easiest question to answer. That is because, as the fine print so often stipulates, these tests are not being administered by a licensed mental health professional. Because of that, their accuracy is potentially open to doubt and interpretation.
For instance, you might take two of these quizzes, or five, or ten, and the answers you might get on all of them might be ambiguous. Maybe, according to these quizzes, you aren’t suffering from anxiety, but you may be. This might happen if you land somewhere in the middle of the “anxiety scale.” You’re not as calm, tranquil, and in control of yourself as you might be, but it’s also not obvious based on your answers that you need to seek help immediately.
On the other hand, it might be that you take several of these quizzes, and every one of them states unequivocally that you have anxiety issues and that you need to seek professional help. While there is still the inherent uncertainty factor, it seems evident in that scenario that you have to make a few changes in your life. While these tests aren’t the last word when it comes to an anxiety diagnosis, if they all say that you’re struggling, then you should probably heed them.
Licensed mental health professionals will utilize more than tests to determine the level of anxiety you’re experiencing, and there is no replacement for evaluation from a professional.
Will Taking Them Help?
Taking anxiety quizzes online might help you in the sense that they’re a good place to start if you’re worried about your level of anxiety. A test might give you a sense of direction and validation about what you’re experiencing, but it will not provide you with treatment.
Even if some of these tests deem it likely that you have anxiety, that does not mean that taking one will alleviate your feelings. In fact, it might turn out to have the opposite effect. If you get confirmation from an online test that you have anxiety, then you might feel worse than if you hadn’t taken the test at all.
The Best Uses for These Tests
The best uses for online anxiety tests are starting a process that leads to your seeking therapy or counseling. After all, if you felt the urge to take some of these tests to begin with, then it is likely that you already suspect you’re feeling an abnormal amount of stress or worry. Whether the tests seem to confirm this or not, it is in your best interest to get help from a mental health professional. You can talk to them about the quiz results if you want, but chances are they will not put a great deal of value into them. You shouldn’t either. A licensed mental health professional will utilize research-supported tests to assess your level of anxiety if necessary.
What If You Do Have Anxiety?
Once you are evaluated and diagnosed by a mental health professional, you can start to look at some options as to how you can get well again. Talking about what is happening is one of the best things that you can do. You can address what it is that’s troubling you and making you feel anxious. You might end up discussing both your childhood and your current life. If you are in a relationship, then you can use ReGain for online couples’ counseling. Including your spouse or significant other in what is happening might turn out to be what’s best for both of you. It may bring you closer together.
Your therapist may refer you to have a medical evaluation to discuss other treatment options that may support the work you do in therapy. You might also end up talking with your therapist about things like yoga, meditation, or the use of essential oils that will put you in a calmer mood. You may learn some mental techniques that you can use if you are faced with one of the situations used to make you nervous or afraid.
In all likelihood, it will take a combination of these things to help you manage anxiety. Persistence and patience are key. Your feelings are not something that you are likely to banish through one or two sessions. The more anxious you feel, the more work you will need to do on yourself. It’s worth it, though.
Online Anxiety Quizzes Might Start the Healing Process, But They Never End It
If you want to take some of the anxiety quizzes out there, there is probably no harm in it, but these tests aren’t a replacement for evaluation and treatment by a professional. Talking with a professional might seem intimidating, but the sooner you do it, the sooner you will be moving in the direction of feeling good and better mental health.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can you self diagnose anxiety?
You know yourself best. If anxiety symptoms impact your life, and you believe that you may have an anxiety disorder, you may be correct. However, you must see a medical or mental health professional qualified to diagnose anxiety disorders to receive a formal diagnosis. If you're feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge on a regular or frequent basis, see a medical or mental health professional. Different anxiety disorders, such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobias, or Social Anxiety Disorder, are all different disorders with different sets of symptoms and criteria. For example, Social Anxiety Disorder (social phobia) is characterized by anxiety surrounding social situations, where a specific phobia, such as a fear of heights, impacts a person's life would be diagnosed differently. While different types of anxiety may share symptoms, part of why it's essential to see a medical or mental health professional for a diagnosis, if possible, is that you want to make sure you're screened accurately.
How do I know if I suffer from anxiety?
- Here are symptoms affiliated with anxiety:
- Excessive worry
- Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge.
- Trouble concentrating or focusing
- Rumination
- Shaking or trembling
- Sweating or facial flushing
- Nausea and/or GI distress
- Fatigue
- Body aches
- Tension
- Difficulty sleeping
- Isolation from others
- Panic attacks
If you notice these symptoms in yourself, you may be struggling with an anxiety disorder.
What are the signs of high functioning anxiety?
"High functioning anxiety" isn't a formal diagnosis and is, instead, an informal term that's sometimes used by people with anxiety disorders to describe hidden anxiety. For example, if someone with an anxiety disorder like Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) can hold a job and hide their symptoms from others some or most of the time, they may say that they have "high functioning anxiety." Anxiety ranges in terms of severity, and high functioning anxiety doesn't always mean that a person's anxiety is less severe. With that said, someone with self-described high functioning anxiety will often experience the same anxiety symptoms as anyone else with an anxiety disorder and will be diagnosed using the same criteria. An online anxiety quiz for high-functioning anxiety might ask questions like, "do you face excessive worry all day but attempt to hide your anxiety from others to appear as though nothing is wrong?" or "do you feel as though you're going to break at the end of the day due to holding your feelings or anxiety in?" For many, this is what "high-functioning" anxiety feels like.
Do I have an anxiety disorder or just anxiety?
If anxiety is impacting your life or ability to function, you may have an anxiety disorder. Whether you're struggling with an anxiety disorder or situational anxiety, counseling, or therapy can help. In counseling or therapy, you can discuss what you're experiencing in a non-judgmental environment and work with a mental health professional to establish coping skills and solutions for living with anxiety. Living with anxiety isn't easy, but you aren't alone if you are living with anxiety. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is one of the most common mental health conditions. In fact, 6.8 million adults in the United States are said to live with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It's important to note that children and teens can also struggle with conditions such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Anxiety disorders do not discriminate. While there are risk factors that can make a person more likely to develop a condition such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, they can impact anyone.
How do I get diagnosed with anxiety?
If you believe that you may have an anxiety disorder such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, or any other anxiety disorder, it's important to see a medical or mental health professional for a formal diagnosis. To get diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or get a formal anxiety screening, the first step is to make an appointment with your psychiatrist or general doctor. Again, anxiety disorders like Generalized Anxiety Disorder are common, and most of the time, they're easy to diagnose. An anxiety screening for a condition like Generalized Anxiety disorder will typically be pretty quick to take. If you have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, getting a proper diagnosis can be advantageous for insurance purposes, as well as personal clarification on what you're going through. If you're searching the web for "diagnose anxiety quiz," "depression anxiety symptoms," "depression anxiety online screening," "online screening anxiety quiz," "articles anxiety quiz," "anxiety disorder anxiety quiz," "anxiety quiz online," or "articles anxiety how to know if you have anxiety," it may be time to see a professional for an anxiety screening. Although it can be nerve-wracking to seek help for the first time, it's worth it.
What are the 6 types of anxiety disorders?
Six of the most commonly spoken anxiety disorders are Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Separation Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Specific Phobias, and Agoraphobia. Selective Mutism and other diagnoses are also listed under the category of anxiety disorders in the DSM-5. Whether you have depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition, support is out there. An anxiety test or anxiety quiz can't diagnose you, but taking an anxiety quiz might be the first step to getting the help you need. An anxiety quiz can give you insight into your symptoms, but keep in mind that not every anxiety quiz you'll find online by using terms like "anxiety disorder anxiety quiz," "disorder anxiety quiz," or "depression anxiety quiz" won't be accurate. Take a quiz through a reliable site, and make sure to reach out to a general doctor or mental health professional for support if you believe that you may have an anxiety disorder or any other mental health condition.
