Depression screening while you wait

Depression screening while you wait

Simple forms for a quick overview

While depression screening as a community outreach helps to uncover many people who suffer from depression but haven’t been diagnosed, routine screening might be more beneficial, says Joelle Reizes, MA, director of special projects for Screening for Mental Health in Wellesley Hills, MA. That’s why the organization has created a screening form for primary care use that can be ordered free of charge.

They encourage physicians to have patients complete the form while in the waiting room. Any staff person could score it and place it in the patient’s file for the physician to review. "If the score is negative, there is nothing more to do, but, if positive, depression could be the reason patients are experiencing their symptoms. Frequently, patients come to their physician with unexplained aches and pains that are caused by depression, she says.

Screening for Mental Health encourages physicians to try this method of uncovering depression by screening patients for one day. "It will provide a snapshot look at the level of depression in their existing practices," says Reizes.