Therapy without
measurement is
expensive
guesswork.

A panic attack is an <strong>event</strong>. Panic disorder is a <strong>diagnosis</strong>. Kessler et al. (2006, NCS-R, N=9,282): about <strong>28%</strong> of US adults experience at least one panic attack in their lifetime, but only ~<strong>4.7%</strong> develop panic disorder. This article covers how to tell them apart, which scales exist (PDSS, PAS, PHQ-PD), when self-screening via GAD-7 + a DSM-5 checklist is enough, and when immediate medical workup is required.

Each month 7,800+ people search for "OCD test" and variants. OCD has two distinct validated instruments: OCI-R (Foa et al. 2002, 18-item self-report, 5 minutes, cut-off ≥21) and Y-BOCS (Goodman et al. 1989, 10-item clinician-rated, 30–45 minutes, gold-standard severity). These are <strong>not alternatives — they cover different tasks</strong>: one for screening, the other for diagnostic clarification and treatment monitoring. And a core fact: OCD rarely comes alone (Pinto et al. 2006, N=293, 91% lifetime ≥1 comorbid disorder).

Each month 12,000+ people search for "fearful-avoidant attachment type" and variants. Mickelson, Kessler & Shaver (1997, NCS, N=8,098): fearful-avoidant ≈ 5% of US general population. In clinical samples the rate is markedly higher. It is the only type combining high attachment anxiety AND high attachment avoidance — a "two-front conflict" (Mikulincer & Shaver 2007). How ECR-R identifies it, what EFT outcome studies show (Wiebe 2017), and why self-help is usually insufficient here.

Each month 16,000+ people search for "codependency test" and its variants. Hard fact: <strong>codependency is absent as a standalone diagnosis from DSM-5 and ICD-11</strong>. Cermak (1986) proposed adding Co-Dependent Personality Disorder to DSM-III-R — APA rejected it. Since then it has remained a descriptive pattern, not a nosological entity. What the science says about the 4 most-cited scales (SFCS, CdQ, HCI, CCS), and which three validated constructs to measure instead.

Each month 16,000+ people in Russia search for "how to manage anxiety" or "how to manage depression". Cuijpers et al. 2019 Network Meta-Analysis (N=15,191): SMD 0.87–1.02 for guided self-help vs waitlist in mild-to-moderate depression. A 5-criterion decision tree, red flags for immediate clinician contact, and how to self-track progress using PHQ-9 / GAD-7 without a psychology degree.

"Depression" is not one diagnosis but a family. Hasin et al. 2018 (NESARC-III, n=36,309): lifetime MDD in 20.6% of US adults, with 74.6% having anxious/distressed specifier — "pure" MDD without modifiers practically does not exist. DSM-5 distinguishes MDD, PDD, postpartum, atypical, melancholic, psychotic, seasonal — each changes the choice of instrument. PHQ-9, BDI-II, EPDS, CES-DC, HAM-D, Zung — which scale for which situation.