On October 10th, ThedaCare, along with other community partners coordinated through the NEWMHC (Northeast Wisconsin Mental Health Connection) will be hosting a live site to promote National Depression Screening Day. Representatives from ThedaCare Behavioral Health will be in the main lobby of Encircle Health from 8am to 3pm to answer questions about depression.
There is also an online screening available at http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/screening/NEW.
Started in 1991, National Depression Screening Day encourages community mental health clinics, military bases, colleges and universities, and healthcare organizations around the country to provide educational information about the warning signs of depression. They'll also offer confidential, anonymous depression screenings by qualified mental health professionals. All member organizations of NEWMCH will have access to an online screening tool where people whose screenings indicate they might be depressed will be referred to appropriate services and resources in our community.
Here are a few facts about depression and its widespread effect on our society:
- Depression is thought to affect nearly 3 million men and a much larger proportion of women (up to 40% of women between the ages of 18 and 45 years, according to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill).
- One out of four young adults will experience a major depressive episode before they reach 24 years.
- By the year 2020, major depression is predicted to be the leading cause of disability, defined as lost years of productivity, among women and children in the world.
- Four times as many men as women die by suicide in the U.S.2
- Men often deal with depression by withdrawing from others and throwing themselves into their work, engaging in risky or dangerous behavior, and/or becoming angry, frustrated and abusive.3
- Women 18 to 45 years of age account for the largest proportion of people suffering from depression.4
- Depression in its many forms affects more than 6.5 million of the 35 million Americans who are 65 years or older.
- Symptoms in older persons may differ somewhat from symptoms in other populations. Depression in older people is often characterized by memory problems, confusion, social withdrawal, loss of appetite, inability to sleep, irritability, and, in some cases, delusions and hallucinations.
For more information about depression and treatment options, visit http://www.thedacare.org/Symptoms-and-Conditions/Behavioral-Health.aspx.
