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EASY-TO-IMPLEMENT MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING MATERIALS AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE TO AACE MEMBERS
Simple mental health screening materials are available from the nonprofit organization Screening for Mental Health (SMH). This respected screening program has been well-received by primary care and specialty care clinicians since its initial introduction in 1995. This free program is being sponsored by AACE.
The provided screening form features the 10-question HANDS depression scale created by SMH and the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry and was recently expanded to include manic-depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. While more comprehensive, the screening form is still a simple one-page form that is easy to score and can be completed by patients in the waiting room.
This program asks physicians to screen all of their regularly scheduled patients on one single day, either on National Depression Screening Day, October 10, or at another convenient date, in order to take a snapshot look at depression and the other illnesses in their existing practice base and explore the utility of screening. After the patient completes the form, an administrative assistant or other personnel can score it and place it in the patient's file for physician review. As is probably evident to all AACE members, endocrinologists have particular need to pay attention to depression symptoms in their patients. Several studies have indicated that diabetes doubles the risk for depression, and the chances of becoming depressed increase as the diabetes complications worsen. Treatment for the comorbid depression, however, is beneficial for the treatment of diabetes. The NIMH reports that psychotherapy and antidepressant treatment have been shown to have positive effects on both mood and blood sugar control (for more information see http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depdiabetes.cfm).
The screening materials are designed to introduce physicians to proven, easy screening procedures that can help uncover symptoms of psychological disorders that may otherwise be interpreted as symptoms of physical illness, leading to earlier identification, financial savings and better outcomes.
AACE members interested in registering for this program can call Screening for Mental Health at 781-239-0071 or go online at http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/ndsd/aace. The kit contains screening forms with instructions, brochures and flyers for patient take-home. It also contains the Physician Pocket-Card series, which is a training series of small pocket cards covering the assessment of various psychiatric conditions. There is no charge for the program.
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