Free screenings available for National Depression Screening Day

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Clinical depression is a medical illness affecting more than 19 million American adults each year. Like screenings for physical illnesses, screenings for mental and emotional health are important for overall wellness. 

In support of National Depression Screening Day on Thursday, several U-M programs are offering faculty, staff and students free in-person and online mental health screenings for depression.

Screenings are a good way to find out if depression might be the cause of feelings like prolonged sadness, anxiety, irritability, loss of pleasure, hopelessness and worthlessness, and even physical pain.

In-person

Free one-on-one confidential screenings with a trained mental health professional will be available for depression and other conditions. Feedback provided after a screening is informational, not diagnostic.

Based on screening results, the mental health professional may recommend a more comprehensive evaluation. Screening locations are:

• U-M Psychological Clinic, 500 E. Washington St., Suite 100, noon-6 p.m Thursday. (open to the public, no university affiliation needed)

• U-M Depression Center, in partnership with the College of Engineering and Rackham Graduate School, Duderstadt Center on North Campus, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday. (Open to the public, no university affiliation needed.)

• UMHS Employee Assistance Program, D2101 Medical Professional Building, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday (For UHMS faculty, staff and immediate family members.)

• U-M Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, 1009 Greene St., 2076 Administrative Services Building, 1-4 p.m. (For campus employees and their immediate family members.)

Online

For those who cannot attend an in-person screening, free online mental health screenings are available any time for depression and other conditions, including bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, alcohol misuse, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Participants will receive an immediate result at the end of each screening to print and take to a counselor for further evaluation if necessary.

• For faculty and staff, MHealthy offers confidential, anonymous online mental health screenings

• For students, Counseling and Psychological Services offers an online screening tool.

Counseling services

Confidential, short-term counseling is always available to university faculty, staff and students at no-cost.

• Ann Arbor and Flint campus employees, contact U-M FASAP at 734-936-8660 or fasap@umich.edu or visit fasap.umich.edu.

• Dearborn campus employees, call 313-593-5430.

• UMHS employees, contact UMHS EAP at 734-763-5409 or eap@umich.edu or visit eap.med.umich.edu.

• Students, contact CAPS at 734-764-8312 or visit caps.umich.edu.

The U-M Psychological Clinic also offers outpatient mental health services for adults and couples 18 and older. It is a fee-for-service clinic that accepts many insurance plans. University affiliation is not required. Call 734-764-3471 or visit psychclinic.org for more information.

Additionally, MHealthy Mental and Emotional Health is bringing the photo-text exhibition “Nothing to Hide: Mental Illness in the Family,” to various campus locations throughout the month of October. It includes 20 photographs and text from interviews with individuals and their families whose lives have been affected by mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, major depression, and anxiety disorders.

The exhibit was created by Amherst, Massachusetts-based Family Diversity Projects, an award-winning, non-profit group devoted to educating the public about issues related to the diversity of family life. For more information, contact MHealthyThrive@umich.edu.

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