CAPS offers depression tests

While midterms may be causing stress for some students, many students took a far more serious exam last Thursday. In observance of National Depression Screening Day, the Office of Health Education, Student Health Services and Counseling and Psychological Services held free anonymous depression screenings between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in the basement of Logan Hall. The screenings were intended to educate the public about the symptoms of depression and identify people in need of help. This was the first year the University joined 3,000 other groups taking part in NDSD, organized by the National Mental Illness Screening Project. According to Marilia Marien, a staff psychologist at CAPS, one goal of the program was "to connect people in need of treatment to the mental health care system." She emphasized that "over 80 percent of people suffering from depression can be treated successfully." As part of the 15-minute screenings, participants completed a written questionnaire and spoke individually with one of approximately 15 mental heath professionals involved with the program. Participants who appeared to need further evaluation were referred for additional treatment services. Screenings were available to University students, faculty and staff. Developed by the Harvard University Department of Psychiatry, the screening questions evaluated the frequency of depression symptoms which participants experienced over the past two weeks. Symptoms of depression include the loss of energy, changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, loss of interest in things, self-blame, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of hopelessness, thoughts of suicide and difficulty concentrating or making decisions. Beyond identifying people directly suffering from depression, NDSD provides help for people worried about friends who may be depressed. Attendees of the event were given a suicide and depression risk questionnaire designed to determine whether someone they know is in need of help. "Seventy-five percent of all people who take their own lives give some warning to a friend or family member," Marien stressed, suggesting that the best way to help a friend in need is to listen and encourage them to "seek some type of help and support." She advised not to be nervous when speaking to a friend about suicide. "You're not going to put the idea in their head," she said. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, "about 15 percent of the population will suffer from clinical depression at some time during their lifetime." Brenda Butler, a staff psychiatrist at CAPS, explained that depression is a "biopsychosocial condition." For each individual, a different combination of biological, psychological and social factors will contribute to depression. Butler described three major types of depression: major depression, dysthymia and bipolar illness. Major depression is a severe episodic condition lasting over two weeks that impairs one's ability to function. Dysthymia is a less intense type of depression that may not interfere with everyday functioning although its symptoms are long-term and chronic. And bipolar illness, also called manic-depressive illness, causes people to suffer from cycles of severe depression and extreme elevation, termed mania.