"Do I Have Depression?" 101

Every October is National Depression Screening Month.
Here are the reasons:

The National Institute of Mental Health (the largest U.S.agency dealing with these issues) reports that the chance of becoming depressed at some point in one's life is almost 17%.


Within this year alone, almost 7% of our US population will become depressed and almost of third of them have depression at a "severe" level.

Now, here's an eye-opener: Barely half of those folks are getting ANY treatment at all!!

(http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1MDD_ADULT.shtml)



The social and economic cost of untreated depression is enormous--one source puts it at 43.7 billion dollars for the US alone.. (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2003, Dec:64(12): pg. 1465).

--At work it includes a greater number of sick days,  lower efficiency and poorer concentration at the job, and loss of income.
--At school it includes twice the likelihood of dropping out of college along with lower educational achievement and performance.
--In general it includes a five times higher likelihood of drug and alcohol abuse, higher medical expenses (depressed folks report much greater incidence of physical pain), seven times greater likelihood of unemployment, and---most traumatically--a thirty times greater incidence of suicide than people who are NOT depressed.


Of course, the costs of emotional and psychological distress, fatigue, agitation, poor sleep and appetite, physical pain, loneliness, sadness,and the greatly diminished ability to enjoy one's life, friends and family are incalculable.

The U.S.health agency, the National Council for Behavioral Health, has a reliable confidential depression screening self-test on its website  (developed by Drs. Spitzer, Williams, Kroenke, 2011--Patient Health Questionnaire-9).
No information about you will be recorded, since the questionnaire can be printed and filled out in the privacy of your home.
There are nine questions to answer with results and a recommendation summary at the end.

http://www.integration.samhsa.gov/images/res/PHQ%20-%20Questions.pdf

It could be a step in the right direction.

Till next time, take good care!