Mental Health & Depression

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is promoting the theme "Together for Mental Health for 2022."  From a primary care perspective, did you know that half or more of primary care visits involve some form of life stress or mental health/behavioral health issues?

Common mental health/behavioral health problems presented to primary care providers include depression, anxiety, grief/bereavement, and substance use problems (e.g., tobacco, alcohol), among others.

Please don't be shy to present such concerns to your primary care health provider. Chances are that he or she has helped other persons with similar concerns many times and would be happy to assist you as well.

One focus for the 2022 Mental Health Awareness Month is the completion of depression screening questions. In particular, the PHQ-2 is a very brief (two items) screening questionnaire that is sometimes administered to adults in primary care settings.

Over the past two weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems

a. Little interest or pleasure in doing things

0=not at all

1=several days

2=more than half the days

3=nearly every day

b. Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless

0=not at all

1=several days

2=more than half the days

3=nearly every day

The likelihood of having some form of depression goes up with the level that one scores on the PHQ2. If you score 3 or higher on the PHQ2 screening questionnaire, it is suggested that you may wish to speak to your primary care health provider or other trusted health adviser (does not mean you have depression, but does suggest that a supportive, clarifying conversation may be in order). Remember, stress and associated behavioral health/mental health struggles are common and nothing to be ashamed of.

Your primary care health provider can be a trusted source of support, information, and assistance. To your best mental health!