Doctors now in the U.S suggest that every adult should have a depression screening every time they see a doctor. A government appointed panel recently released this recommendation in order to track people who are suffering depression and help them overcome the disease.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is the agency that recommended the depression screening back in however it wasn't until recently that the disease has been put into the spotlight.
"The task force has determined that there is enough good-quality evidence to be confident that the benefits of screening for depression outweigh the harms for the general adult population, including pregnant and postpartum women. This is because we found evidence that screening for depression in the primary care setting is accurate, that treatment for depression is effective for people detected through screening and the likelihood of harms from screening or treatments are small" explained Karina Davidsona, professor at Columbia University.
According to 7 Ways, Depression differs in men and women. As such, the depression screening consists of a multitude of questionnaires such as the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Geriatric Depression Scale in older adults, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in postpartum and pregnant women.
People who are diagnose with the affliction would then undergo additional assessments in order to determine their medical condition, consider alternative diagnoses or assess the severity of their possible depression. Statistics also showed that each year only 7% of people who are suffering from depression over come it some actually take their own life because of not seeking professional help and this depression screening might finally be the solution for this growing problem.
"They no longer say 'when support is available' because they just assume that it's available. ... The care for depression in primary care settings is improving," explained Dr. Michael E. Thase, professor of psychiatry at University of Pennsylvania.