Why You Must Get Screened For Depression
If you’re experiencing heightened or extreme sadness, loneliness, or dread, it may be time to get screened for Depression. Read this post to learn more about the benefits of screening for Depression.
Note: I am not a mental health professional. The information presented in this article should not be used for self-diagnosis or to replace a medical diagnosis from a mental health professional or your primary care physician. The following information is for educational purposes only.
Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions, with at least 8.4% of Americans struggling in 2020. There are many different kinds of Depression, treatment options, and symptoms that vary from person to person.
Some will only experience one depressive episode in a lifetime, but for most, depressive disorder recurs. Without treatment, episodes may last a few months to several years. Anyone can experience symptoms of Depression regardless of age, sex, or gender. That’s why you need to get screened if you feel like you have symptoms of Depression.
Quick Overview Of Depression
What Is Depression?
Clinical or significant Depression is a mental health condition that affects your overall well-being. A chemical imbalance in the brain causes psychological, mental, and physical symptoms that impact daily life. Depression can influence anyone at any time, so it’s crucial to identify if someone has this mental illness.
Symptoms Of Depression
Every person currently diagnosed with clinical Depression experiences various symptoms. A person’s symptoms may depend on their lifestyle, age, health, gender, sex, and many other factors. However, there are specific symptoms that are similar, which most people with Depression have. These symptoms include:
- Insomnia or oversleeping
- Persistent feelings of extreme sadness
- Suicidal thoughts or ideation
- Lack of appetite or excessive overeating
- Lack of concentration
- Hopelessness or guilty thoughts
Clinical Depression is a severe mental health condition that, if left untreated, can cause many problems and remain symptoms for weeks, months, or years. Many of these symptoms can also occur on a seasonal basis, which professionals call Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Treatment options for Depression vary depending on the severity of the symptoms and how you communicate with your medical professionals. The most common treatment options include psychotherapy, medication, improved lifestyle habits, and brain stimulation therapy.
With more and more people experiencing Depression, we need to do our part in educating, identifying, and helping anyone experiencing long-term symptoms of any depression.
Screening For Depression
Before I continue, I think it’s vital for you to understand what I mean by the word screening. In this case, screening is similar to a test or an assessment. It’s a tool psychologists, mental health specialists, therapists, and educational institutes use to identify people struggling with the illness.
However, a depression screening is not an official diagnosis and should not be considered. Instead, it’s a guideline and preventative method to help people break the stigma surrounding Depression and seek the help they need.
Many free and online depression assessments and screenings are available to the public. However, if you’re living in the United States, I highly recommend using the review by the nonprofit organization Mental Health America. It’s easy to use and offers resources for managing all different symptoms and concerns related to therapy.
For folks living in the United Kingdom, a similar tool is available to you from the United Kingdom National Health Service and is equally as easy to use. The only noticeable difference is that you must click on the net page to access the resources.
Who Should Screen For Depression?
Honestly, everyone should be screened for Depression. Depression is one of those mental health illnesses that doesn’t care for who or what you are. Screenings help all medical professionals to continue providing the resources and materials needed to treat mental health patients properly.
That said, Depression is most common in people who
- Have a family history of mental health illness
- Experienced traumatic event
- Struggle with alcohol or substance abuse
- Is a recently discharged veteran
If you fall into one or more of these categories, then it would benefit you to get screened for Depression every once in a while to check in with yourself. You can take a test once every few weeks and track the results. If you’re concerned about possibly suffering from a severe form of Depression, then reach out to a mental health specialist or your provider.
How To Use Your Results
After taking one of the many online assessments, the website will direct you to a page including your results and relevant resources. You can use these results to benefit and improve your overall mental health and well-being.
The first thing you should do is save these results and review them with your provider. This will help them better understand where you fall on the scale of Depression and to help you find the best treatment options.
But you also benefit from understanding and tracking these results. So, I highly recommend keeping them in a safe place and monitoring how your symptoms and mood fluctuate throughout the year.
One of my favorite ways to keep track of my mental health is through journaling. Journaling allows you to visually see where your mind was when you jotted down specific thoughts and ideas. Some ways you can use journaling for your mental health are:
- Create a mood tracker
- Create a word bubble describing how you feel at that moment
- Use journaling as a form of a diary
- Follow guided mental health journal prompts
- Use a timetable to mark down when you’re experiencing Depressive episodes
Tracking your mental health and screening results will help you identify anything or anyone triggering your Depression. You can also better educate yourself on healthy coping skills and mechanisms for managing it.
Final Thoughts
Today is National Depression Screening Day, a national observation in which mental health specialists and advocates urge you to assess yourself for symptoms of Depression and other mental health illnesses. With that said, there are many ways to get screened for Depression.
If you are depressed, immediately talk with your doctor or mental health professional. This is especially important if your symptoms worsen or affect your daily activities. Your primary care provider is an excellent place to start.
Remember that screenings are NOT PROFESSIONAL DIAGNOSIS. But they’re helpful because they can help identify depressive symptoms and guide you toward professional evaluation.
Again, you should see your doctor or a qualified mental health professional if you experience five or more symptoms of Depression for longer than two weeks or if the symptoms are severe enough to interfere with your daily routine.
