Free, Anonymous Depression Screening at Sites Across the Nation

By: Jean Johnson for Body1

This Thursday, October 5 is the 16th annual National Depression Screening Day. It is staged each year during Mental Health Awareness Week. The first screening event back in 1990 had just 90 sites, but it was so successful that it’s grown to include college campuses, military bases and mental health centers.

This year there will be 3,000 sites nationwide, and sponsors of the event – the National Mental Health Association, American Psychiatric Association, National Institute for Mental Health, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems and National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association – expect 85,000 people to attend. For more information, visit www.mentalhealthscreening.org.

Depression is Widespread

Reluctant? Fearful of branding yourself as emotionally unstable? If you really don’t want to go to one of the anonymous and confidential screening sites, you can take the confidential screening assessment online. But keep in mind that there is no need to be embarrassed about going public with depression.

More of us than you might realize are in the same boat. There are 19 million American adults who battle depression each year. In other words, one in four women and one in 10 men will experience depression at some point during their lives.

Also – and here’s the clincher – two thirds of those who suffer from depression labor on in the vineyard day after day and week after week, so to speak, and never do get help. That adds up to misery that mental health professionals and the patients they serve say is not necessary to endure.

Indeed, according to the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), “more than 80 percent of all cases of clinical depression can be effectively treated with medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of both.”

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Why Screen for Depression? (Adapted from the National Mental Health Association) Clinical depression is a serious medical illness. Clinical depression can lead to suicide. Sometimes people with depression mistakenly believe that the symptoms are a normal part of life. Depression affects women and men of all ages, races, and socioeconomic groups. Depression can complicate other medical conditions. Screenings are often the first step in getting help.

One Woman’s Story

“I know how hard it is to make that first call,” said Jody Baird Hester of Albuquerque, New Mexico. “And actually getting out of the car and going into a mental health office is even tougher. When I did, I felt like the whole world was watching me, and that I was branded as someone who was losing her marbles.

“So I feel for those people who just won’t go in. But if they only knew how much better they could feel, I think they’d change their minds. For me it’s been really helpful seeing a therapist and getting some meds.

“I’m not even the same person that I was back during that black, black time when I was depressed. Then I couldn’t sleep and just worried about everything all the time. And the thing is I didn’t realize how bad off I was. It was my family that had to tell me.

“At first I just passed it off, but by them saying something, later on after I’d had a chance to think it over – and when I got so bad I considered taking my own life – I did finally get some help. That was 20 years ago and to think I might have checked out early and missed the wonderful experience my life has turned into. I’m just so grateful and wish others could find the same kind of relief I have today.”

What Is a Depression Screening Like?

NMHA explains that attendees at the screening programs – which the organization underscores are “free and confidential” – will have a chance to hear an educational presentation on depression. People will also be invited to fill out a written screening test that will be used for the basis of discussion during a short consultation with a mental health professional.

“When you go to a screening event, you will find that you will be welcomed,” Joelle Rizes, MS, director of external relations for Screening for Mental Health, the nonprofit that organized the screening day, told Body1. “There will be an opportunity to complete the screening test, but you don’t have to. It’s the same with talking to a mental health professional, it’s optional.

“Consultations are short. Just five to seven minutes so that you can learn what the next step is for you. If there is an urgent need, you might get some numbers to call,” Rizes explained. “They can also get an appointment made right then if that’s appropriate. Referrals to support groups can also be made, and there will be literature for people to take home with them.”

Rizes also wants to note that “if you are concerned about a loved one or friend, then you should go for them even if you can’t motivate them to go. There will be questions to help you think through their behavior – especially on suicide if there is a need to intervene. So the screening day is a good educational tool for those people as well.”

What’s the Difference between the Blues and Depression?

“The blues differ from depression the way a cold differs from the flu,” said Rizes. “It’s a matter of degree.

“Things like feeling down and sad, often irritable, changes in sleep and appetite, hopelessness. All that can happen on a short term basis when you get some bad news, but in depression those symptoms persist and don’t get better with good news or changes in circumstances. Also along with those feelings can come thoughts of death or suicide.”

Clearly addressing suicidal tendencies is one reason the annual depression screenings have continued. “Yes,” said Rizes. “An article in the Journal of Mental Health just came out that said our suicide rate is dropping in this country. Part of that is better treatment, so we think what we’re doing is really having an important impact.”

Who Most Benefits from the Screening Day?

“People who can’t quite put their finger on what’s wrong or aren’t quite ready to ask for help or access the mental health system,” said Rizes. “This is designated to be a doorway for those people.

“Since this is an anonymous program, we don’t have any reports from people who we served. But we did do some studies and looked at who was going and comprising our audience and what happened to them after. We found that over 75 percent were actually going through and seeing a treatment provider.

“So it motivates people to attend and seek treatment,” Rizes said. “And it’s definitely about connecting people with treatment resources.”

Rizes also noted that the screening is for adults, age 17 and older. “We include young adults because we have screening centers on college campuses. That’s an important audience – the 17 to age 24 group – because a lot of mental illnesses have their first onset in the early twenties. Also for a lot of kids it’s their first time away from home. So it’s a good time to introduce them to taking care of their emotional health and paying attention to their own emotional symptoms.

“We also have a strong older adult component,” said Rizes. “We even have a game called ‘feel good bingo’ that we use in nursing homes and assisted living centers that participate in the screening day. We try to have something for everyone.”

This Year’s Focus is on Sleep Problems

“Sleep is an interesting problem. There’s no one who doesn’t want a good night’s sleep,” said Rizes. “And there is definitely a relationship between sleep problems and depression, which is why we are emphasizing it this year.

“Our message is that if you go to your primary care doctor about sleep, be sure you talk about your mood so you can feel better faster and stay that way.”

Rizes says everybody is better off if they adopt healthy behaviors including good sleep patterns. “Yes, we all need regular sleep patterns. The idea is not to stay up really late or skip sleep.”

Rizes also observes seasonal affective disorder or SAD, a subtype of depression that can lead to people to feel more depressed in the winter months. “There is definitely treatment for SAD,” she said, “but quite honestly, the best self care is making sure you are getting enough sunlight and that you are exercising. If you are vigilant there and then make sure you have regular sleep patterns, it can help significantly.

“That’s why we encourage people to come out to the screening day. It’s an educational opportunity that has been shown to really help people.”

Last updated: 03-Oct-06