This is National Depression Education and Awareness Month. October 11, 2019 was National Screening Day. National Depression Screening Day (NDSD), is dedicated to raising awareness and screening people for depression and related mood and anxiety disorders. NDSD is the nation’s oldest voluntary, community-based screening program that gives access to validated screening questionnaires and provides referral information for treatment. Depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) in any given year. And one in six people (16.6%) will experience depression at some time in their life. Depression can strike at any time, but on average, first appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Women are more likely than men to experience depression, in fact, some studies show that one-third of women will experience a major depressive episode in their lifetime.
Estimates are that approximately 8% of people over the age of 12 suffer from moderate to severe depression. The signs of serious depression are many and include prolonged sadness or irritability, sleep and appetite disturbances, loss of energy, less interest in pleasurable activities, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, and occasionally thoughts of suicide. Depression is correlated with problematic medical conditions such as post-stroke recovery and diabetes management, among others. Unfortunately, many people attempt to deal with their depression through problematic alcohol or drug use.
Between 2 to 4% of workers in the US suffer from depression and up to 50% of workers with depression experience short term disability. There are significant financial costs to employers. For example, in studies from the University of Michigan Depression Center, the total economic burden of depression in 2000 was $83 billion and the majority of this cost (62% or $52 billion) was due to lost workplace productivity. It is not uncommon for depressed workers to have poorer on the job performance. Stress worsens the risk for depression. We discuss the relationship of stress and depression in our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For additional information about the book, authors, and stress please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com.
So should we be doing more to screen for depression? Apparently the medical establishment has decided yes. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that general physicians/primary care physicians screen all adults for depression and treat those affected by it with antidepressant medication, refer them to psychotherapy, or both. The Task Force also recommended that all pregnant and postpartum women be screened for signs of depression as well as older adults. Pregnant women with depression are recommended a range of treatments including cognitive behavior therapy, an evidence based psychotherapy with demonstrated efficacy in treating depression. This policy is a departure from previous recommendations which only had recommended that physicians look for signs of depression periodically when resources to treat were in place. The new recommendations recently were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
So should you seek out screening for depression? Occasional sadness or the "blues" are a part of life for most people. However, if you or a loved one have been suffering from one or more of the symptoms noted earlier, it would be prudent to seek out screening. Your physician healthcare professional is in a position to use several available depression screening tools as well as assess whether any of your physical/medical conditions may be influencing your self-report. Your professional can refer you to a mental health professional, who may be a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or mental health trained registered nurse. But do keep in mind that help is available and ranges from medication to cognitive behavior therapy. The treatment of depression has transitioned into the mainstream of American medical care. There is no excuse for failing to diagnose and treat depression.
Actually, depression screenings should be a routine part of your healthcare. Whether for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or depression, health screenings provide a quick and easy way to spot the first signs of serious illness and can reach people who might not otherwise seek professional medical advice.
Depression screening is effective in linking at-risk individuals with treatment options. Results from a 2009 independent research study by the University of Connecticut and commissioned by Screening for Mental Health confirm this connection. The study showed that 55% of participants who completed an online depression screening and who agreed to participate in a follow-up survey sought depression treatment within three months of the screening.
To take a mental health screening, go to www.mhascreening.org or visit www.HelpYourselfHelpOthers.org to locate a mental health screening site or take an online screening.
You can change your life but you must take action. Change your thoughts and change your results.
Dr. Paul Longobardi
For information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com