All Adults Should be Screened for Depression, Panel Advises

All adults should be screened for depression, according to a panel appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services. If initial screening tests indicate an increased risk of depression, health care providers are advised to conduct assessments to look for substance abuse or other medical conditions.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advised that women be screened for depression during pregnancy and after childbirth, according to The Washington Post.

The task force wrote in JAMA that major depressive disorder is associated with suicide, and impacts the ability to manage other health problems. “Depression has a major effect on quality of life for the patient and affects family members, especially children,” the group wrote.

Depression screening involves asking questions about a person’s feelings about their lives. They are asked to what extent certain statements are true, such as, “I can laugh and see the funny side of things,” “I feel as if I am slowed down,” or “I look forward with enjoyment to things.”

All adults should be screened for depression at least once, the task force advised. The experts noted the “optimal frequency of such screening has not been established.”

In an editorial accompanying the study, Michael E. Thase, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, suggested that “for patients in generally good health who only see their primary care physicians sporadically, it may make sense to screen at each visit” and possibly to “incorporate periodic web-based ‘health checks.’”