Psychiatrists at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center will offer free screening this week for students who think they suffer from clinical depression.
Members of the psychiatry department at the medical school hope to raise awareness of mental illnesses, particularly depression, by offering the free screening as part of national Mental Illness Awareness Week, which began Monday.
"While most everyone experiences low times when life seems drab and unrewarding, usually the short-term feelings do not keep us from functioning on a day-to-day level," said Dr. C. L. Ravaris, director of the Mood Disorders Service.
"However, if symptoms of futility persist for a long time and people continue to feel isolated, unlovable and devoid of hope for change, they may find it useful to seek advice about their condition, since most cases of depression are treatable," he said.
The free screenings are intended to inform the public that depression is a common but treatable condition. Hospital Spokeswoman Sherry Calkins said depression affects about one in five Americans, and according to the National Institute of Mental Health depression affects 15 million Americans each year.
Ravaris will begin the free depression screening Thursday by discussing symptoms of and forms of treatment for depression. His talk will be followed by a half-hour video produced by the American Psychiatric Association called "Depression: The Storm Within."
Attendees can then choose to complete a questionnaire and have a private psychiatric session with the clinical staff.
In the past, 50 to 100 people have attended the screenings at the medical center. Last year, 25,000 people attended similar sessions at 435 sites around the country as part of the first National Depression Screening Day.
Organizers of the event said people considering screening should look for some common symptoms of depression, including difficulty sleeping, lack of concentration, fatigue and thoughts of suicide.
