Depression screenings offered

The University's Faculty/Staff Assistance Program is offering faculty members and their immediate families free depression screening tests by telephone. Since studies show that between 20 percent and 33 percent of Americans suffer from depression, the service could be beneficial to numerous unhappy people. With this new program, faculty can call in and speak directly to a counselor. The counselor asks 20 standard questions of the caller, which takes about 10 minutes, Assistance Program Social Worker Sandra Soll said. She said the inventory allows the counselor to assess the subject's degree of depression. Results can reveal mild to severe symptoms of depression. The caller can then decide if he needs an interview face-to-face with a counselor or if he wants to try other resources in order to investigate his feelings more thoroughly. One goal of the program is to assist those who would never seek help by the usual methods -- physically going to a counselor or therapist. Soll explained that a major obstacle to depressives is their inability to make decisions. These people may also feel they need help, they do not know where to go and they are not motivated. Soll said the program strives to overcome these barriers. "We believe there are a lot of people struggling with depression, and the earlier you can intervene the better it is," she said. "Even for those who call and aren't depressed -- they are dealing with stress and can still come in and get helped." People will also be more likely to use the service because of the confidentiality factor of the screenings, Assistance Program Chief Social Worker Alan Bell said. "What is special about this program is that we have set aside specific time to do anonymous, confidential telephone screenings," he said. The service started last Tuesday and will run every Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. until December 15th. The number to call to receive a free screening is 898-7910. If the program is met with a good response, there is a chance that the Assistance Program will offer the telephone interviews again, Soll said. The Assistance Program is offering the telephone interviews as part of the National Depression Screening Project, which is sponsored by the Employee Assistance Professionals Association.

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