Loss of energy, poor concentration, feeling rather hopeless coupled with changes in sleep and appetite. The casual and common nature of these symptoms appears to be rather harmless, and if we were to experience them, we would not give them much thought, would we now? But what if these seemingly harmless, casual, common symptoms could be a sign of something that needed urgent attention? People often underestimate the importance of maintaining their mental health and there could be dire consequences when people do not seek help. In 1990, Douglas Jacobs began National Depression Screening Day inspired by the medical methodology of his colleagues. Being driven by the importance of physical checkups and screenings, he thought it was imperative to apply this to depression. This was deepened after a study by the National Institute of Mental Health that stated that depression was a very prevalent yet was a severely underdiagnosed and undertreated illness. He also found it widely perplexing that people have not sought out treatment mainly because of the relentless stigma still attached and people are simply just unaware. So the birth of his idea was officiated to be on the first Thursday of the first full week of October and since, National Depression Screening Day has transformed into an ambitious set of awareness events that have spread into hospitals, colleges, clinics and community groups.
“It’s important that we screen for mental illness because it allows us to identify these illnesses early on—making treatment more effective, “ says Douglas Jacobs, Founder of National Depression Screening Day and medical doctor.
The devastating implications of depression are enormous. They are the second leading cause of death of youth ages 11-18, increases in severity among the LGBT community, more common in men and veterans have the highest rate at 50%. This is not conclusive, as depression is a mental illness that holds no bounds – as it targets anyone regardless of sex, race, age, ethnicity, economic status. Despite depression being a common, treatable occurrence, it can be life-threating and altering. As someone who has witnessed the endless struggle and difficulty of living with a mental illness, I think it is important to not dismiss your feelings no matter how common you might think it is.
I came across a story of a woman named Jasmine R., who credited her profound battle with her overwhelming anxiety and depression with depression screening. She writes, “Since I was a young girl, depression and anxiety have been part of my life. My days were filled with tears and chronic migraines. Back then, I didn’t know why I felt the way I did.” It is uncommon for people to dismiss their feelings. It is not something we can physically observe, like an injury. A physical injury would prompt anyone to seek treatment immediately because we could see the immediate consequences of a disabled part of ourselves. Most often times, people just want to convince themselves that they are still functional, even if not effective – but just to appear merely functional. Jasmine continued to unravel her unfortunate life events, living through familial deaths, birth of her daughter, homelessness and a suicide attempt. It was at this time she would be unable to do simple daily activities and would even cry for no reason.
After finally deciding to seek help, she acknowledges that the screenings has helped her become an advocate for herself. She declared that “mental health screenings help me document my symptoms and make it easy to express how I am feeling to my doctor.” It is not always straightforward ad effortless to explain your thoughts, emotions. How can one explain how and why they are feeling the way they do, when they do not understand it themselves? It can be quite a baffling experience. Screenings have helped people and Jasmine herself, monitor and track their emotions, and check off their symptoms that particularly apply to themselves. In other words, screenings helped verify and validate their feelings, especially at a time when it is hard to express them.
National Depression Day is a program that not only offers anonymous screening for depression, but also offers confidential screenings for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Bipolar disorder, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. If authorized, referrals to community services and treatment centres may be provided. Most importantly, screenings can be done anonymously online and in-person.
Conclusively, mental health initiatives have a long way to go in regards to being acknowledged on the same level as physical illnesses. However, it is commendable to witness the growing impact mental health initiatives are having on a national and even on an international scale. Though National Depression Day is only distinguished on one day, it is crucial that we take consistent efforts to monitor our well-being all year around, and to be active leaders in taking action if any symptoms arise.
