With 20 million people being treated for depression each year, researchers are always looking for a way to get a leg up on the disease. They have realized that depression screening is a way to recognize the early symptoms of depression and ensure treatment and preventative measures for patients. It is being recommended that doctors begin screening people routinely for depression, especially in cases where there is a family history of depression. This depression screening will enable the patients to get treated with ease and the doctors to better understand how depression works and find the best treatments.
Checking Adults First
While depression screening is recommended for all people who have a family history of depression, screening is recommended at this point for adults primarily. There is no known research regarding depression screening in children, young adults or the elderly. Doctors are told to be on alert for depression in younger and older patients and to check any signs noted periodically to ensure the swiftest possible treatment.
Screening Measures
There are a number of different depression screening methods available. The doctor can choose to use any variety of procedures depending on the practice and the doctor’s preferences. Choices include self diagnostic procedures that the patients can perform in the form of surveys which are quick, easy ways to handle patients who are at risk or known to have suffered from depression. These can include questions about how the patient has been feeling or the depth of depression in recent time for comparison. These questions can lead to the need for more doctor-centered questioning and discussion. There are also doctor administered procedures which are significantly more detailed, provide better information and require a great deal of analysis. These are considerably more time consuming, but they are more effective than the self diagnostic.
Diagnosing
The depression screening tests are not intended to diagnose depression; rather they are designed to give the doctor some idea about the level of depression or likelihood that it will strike at particular patient. Each method has its own scoring system that must be understood by the doctor, researchers and (preferably) by the patients. There should be some indication of the severity of the depression within the test. Exams like this have to be precisely designed and their usefulness have to be constantly debated to maintain their importance in mental healthcare.
Extended Testing
When patients are known to be at high risk for depression, it is important that there are depression screening tests available that are targeted for them. These tests should include far more in depth questions and analyses which will better measure the depression they are suffer from. These should be designed for specific types of depression and be easily modified. Treatments should be based on the depression screening, the level of depression, the medication given and any improvements noted. Depression screening in this case is meant to track changes rather than simply give an idea about whether or not there is depression in the person.
