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National Depression Screening Day (NDSD) will be held this year on October 8. The event, sponsored by APA and several other mental health organizations since 1991, screened 90,000 people last year.
NDSD is one of the highlights of Mental Illness Awareness Week, which is being held this year October 4 to 10.
NDSD provides services to people all over the country by preparing screening sites with implementation instructions, publicity ideas, and educational materials. Participating sites do local publicity and provide the professionals to conduct screenings and make referrals.
"Participation in the screening program-during Mental Illness Awareness Week and throughout the year-gives district branches and local psychiatrists an excellent opportunity to showcase modern psychiatry for the general public," said APA Medical Director Steven M. Mirin, M.D. Mirin is a board member of the National Mental Illness Screening Project.
Because the public is so responsive to the screening day, the project is going to continue to fund a year-round referral line that it started after last year's event. Psychiatrists registering for National Depression Screening Day can also choose to participate in a register of professionals available throughout the year to provide free outreach. Clinicians who participate in the program must agree to schedule a free, individual screening for callers who are referred to them through the line.
The registration deadline for this year's National Depression Screening Day is August 3. To register a site or individual services, write to National Depression Screening Day, 1 Washington Street, Suite 304, Wellesley Hills, Mass. 02181-1706, or fax a request to (781) 431-7447.