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Depression Screening, as with other health care screenings, seek to find the early signals of a serious disease and can assist persons who for some reason would not have been diagnosed and treated for clinical depression. Clinical depression is a serious medical illness which can lead to suicide and screenings are often the first step in getting help.
Clinical depression affects both adults and children of all races as well as income levels. Studies have shown that one in four women and one in ten men will experience depression at sometime during their lifetime. The good news is that clinical depression is highly treatable and can be treated effectively with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of both. Most people suffering from this illness do not seek medical attention - mostly because they do not know the symptoms of depression. They may think the symptoms are a normal part of life and they are just going through "the blues". Others may think the depression feelings may go away on their own or simply, may be too ashamed to talk about how they feel.
People suffering from depression often have these symptoms -
a sad, anxious or empty mood that will not go away
sleeping too little or even sleeping too much
eating too little resulting in rapid weight loss or increased appetite with weight gain
lack of pleasure and interest in activities enjoyed in the past
lack of concentration, difficulty remembering things and unable to make
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decisions
loss of energy and feeling tired most of the time
thoughts of death or suicide
A quick and easy way to find out if you have symptoms of depression is to take a free and confidential depression screening test sponsored by the National Mental Health Association on their website www.depressionscreening.org which also gives locations and telephone contact numbers for additional help if needed.
It is necessary to point out that depression screenings should not take the place of your medical doctor or a qualified mental health professional - they only point out the presence or absence of symptoms of depression and provide a referral to these trained health care professionals. If however, you experience five or more of the above symptoms for longer than two weeks or the symptoms are so bad that they interfere with your daily activities, seek the advice of your medical doctor or a trained mental health professional. You can also contact your local Mental Health Association for help or referrals.
During Mental Illness Awareness Week in October, National Depression Screening Day is held. The aim of this chosen day is to:
bring public awareness to this disabling illness
remove the embarrassment that society has to this mental illness
educate people about depression symptoms and effective treatments
provide screening opportunities for people
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