Everyone gets "the blues" now and then, but they usually aren't serious and don't last long. Clinical depression is something else again. "Depression is a huge problem, but it can be treated," says Davina Miller, director of the MHC Counseling Center. "If you think you may be depressed, come to our depression screening session and find out. It could change your life."
The screening session, to be held October 9 (see calendar for details), includes a brief talk on the causes, symptoms, and treatments of depression, followed by a short video. Participants can complete an anonymous written screening test for depression, and have the opportunity to discuss the results with a mental health professional. Counseling and medication are available to students who need them; counseling service staff can give faculty and staff referrals for treatment. The session is part of National Depression Screening Day.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression strikes more than seventeen million Americans annually. Yet fewer than half ever seek treatment, even though treatment can help eighty percent of those affected. One member of the MHC community put it this way: "I hesitated to get help for my feelings of depression because of the stigma of having a 'mental illness.' But before I got therapy and medication, it was like having to climb out of a deep well before I could solve the simplest everyday problem. Now I handle problems just like everyone else, and actually enjoy life once again. You don't have to suffer."
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