Your View: Mental health Massachusetts offers online mental health screening
Standard Times, The (New Bedford, MA)Oct 06, 2015
A s a society, Americans are hyper-focused on physical health. Whether we consciously think about it or not, we are tapped into what’s going on within our bodies constantly. WebMD’s 27,038,633 average monthly viewers alone attest to the fact that we’re anxiously Googling symptoms at the sign of a slight headache; and with Obamacare’s free physicals, more of us are making time for regular check-ups.
But what about the intricate ins and outs of the mind? When was the last time we stopped and focused on what’s going on up there? As demonstrated by devastating suicide rates, paying attention to your mental health is as crucial as the physical.
In
Studies show that suicide is often a fatal response to depression, a treatable mental health condition. The remedy — as with any illness — is detection and prevention. Early intervention can lessen severity, speed recovery and save lives. Unsurprisingly, the key to detection and prevention of physical ailments is regular examinations, yet routine mental health check-ups continue to be stigmatized. It’s time to change our ways and acknowledge that mental health is as serious as physical health and there’s a first step at our fingertips: free online screenings.
A recent study conducted by Screening for Mental Health found that 55 percent of people who completed an online depression screening and agreed to participate in a follow-up survey sought depression treatment within three months. And 80 percent of those treated for depression show an improvement in symptoms in just four to six weeks.
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Together, we can make a difference in the lives of Americans unknowingly affected by depression. Progress is right at our fingertips.
—Douglas Jacobs M.D., a