Google, the most widely-used search engine in the world, is now offering a mental health assessment for people who search terms such as “am I depressed?”.

The new feature, created by Google and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (Nami), will be automatically promoted by the search engine to appear as the top result.

The link will take you to a nine-question quiz, known as PHQ-9, that asks questions such as whether they have “little interest or pleasure in doing things” or if they have “trouble concentrating”.

PHQ-9 is clinically approved to screen for depression and has been used by the NHS.

The new feature is currently only available for US users, but Google said it will bring the quiz over to the UK if it proves a success.

UK users looking for a similar quiz can click this link.

Mary Giliberti, chief executive of Nami, said: “We hope that by making this information available on Google, more people will become aware of depression and seek treatment to recover and improve their quality of life.”

Commenting on the announcement, Rachel Boyd, of mental health charity Mind, said: “An online survey is never a good substitute for seeing your GP or another health professional.

“However, these surveys may be helpful in encouraging people to recognise that what they are experiencing is real and that support is available.”