An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
To increase mental health awareness and decrease the stigma often associated with these illnesses, May has been designated National Mental Health Month. MHealthy is offering confidential online screenings for common mental health conditions on the MHealthy Understanding U Web site.
The screenings are a simple way for university faculty and staff to check their symptoms and find out where to go for help if further assistance is needed. Conditions covered include depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, alcohol misuse, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“From time to time, we all experience issues and/or problems in daily living that make us feel stress or sadness, or have mood swings or anxiety,” says Tom Waldecker, director of the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program. “The online screenings are designed to help evaluate our concerns, to determine whether these problems have become more severe and are symptoms of a more serious mental health problem.”
Screening for Mental Health, a non-profit agency, provides the screening instruments on its Web site. All information is secure, confidential and anonymous.
Participants will receive an immediate result at the end of each screening that, if necessary, can be printed and taken to a counselor for further evaluation.
The university also offers two employee-assistance programs to help staff, faculty, and their immediate family members manage personal difficulties encountered at either work or home. These programs provide no-cost, confidential, short-term services including problem-focused counseling, referrals to specialists, and general information on how to manage mental and emotional health concerns.
Health System employees may contact the UMHS Employee Assistance Program at 763-5409, or by e-mail at [email protected].
Campus employees in Ann Arbor or Flint may contact the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program at 936-8660 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Dearborn employees can call 313-593-5430.
To take an MHealthy Understanding U online mental health screening, go to www.mhealthy.umich.edu/understandingu.
