Annual National Depression Screening Day: What to Expect

National Depression Screening Day is held every year on the first Thursday of October. It is an educational screening event where many organizations, hospitals, clinics and colleges participate nationwide in Depression screening. This year National Depression Screening Day is on October 5, 2017. This event began as an initiative from Screening for Mental Health (SMH) to reach more and more people to connect them with mental health services.

Most screenings are free on this date - online and ready for those who wish to take them. Anonymous screenings are available HERE.

Participants may be experiencing any of the following:

• A consistent sad, anxious, lost moods

• Sleeping too little or sleeping too much

• Loss of appetite and drastic weight loss or weight gain

• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed

• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

• Fatigue or loss of energy

• Thoughts of death or suicide

Most commonly, screenings will screen for more than just depression, as they will screen for other disorders like bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). More information about mental health screening can be found HERE.

However, although screening is an important part of the process, note that depression screenings are often not an official diagnosis. It is important to seek help from mental health professionals if you have feelings of depression and need help.

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Just know that your support system is here for you and know that if you want help, it is always available to you. Thrive Therapists are well aware of depression and can help you get through it to the best of their ability.