It’s a commonly over-looked aspect of a person’s overall health and something people don’t readily talk about.
But clinical depression is a common medical illness affecting more than 19 million American adults each year, according to Mental Health America. One in four adults and one in five children in San Diego County suffer from a mental disorder or difficulty in any given year and depression is the most common.
Oct. 6-12 is Check Your Mood San Diego Depression Screening Week and the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency and 27 community partner organizations are offering free, anonymous depression screenings at 39 different locations.
San Diego County residents can also call the Access & Crisis Line at (888) 724-7240 to receive a depression screening over the phone or find a location of an in-person screening.
A trained mental health volunteer will be on-hand at the locations to screen adults 18 years and older. At many sites, an experienced mental health clinician will also be available to meet with individuals needing immediate intervention or referrals for ongoing help.
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Getting screened for depression should be a regular part of your health care checkups much like getting your blood pressure checked or being screened for heart disease or diabetes. Screenings are the quickest and easiest way to spot the first signs of what could become a serious mental illness.
In addition to the week of screenings, the Access and Crisis Line continues to be available seven days a week, 24 hours a day with access to County behavioral health services all year long.
Depression Screening Week is part of the County’s Live Well San Diego health initiative. Complete information, including the list of screening sites and participating agencies, can be found on the CHIP website www.sdchip.org or by calling the Access and Crisis Line. Resources and more information on depression can be found at www.up2sd.org.
