By Andy Steiner

(October 23, 2015)

When Mental Health Minnesota (MHM), an advocacy and support organization for Minnesotans with mental illness, decided to put a set of online screening tools for depression and other common mental health concerns on its website, organizers figured it would be a helpful service they could provide for visitors.

What they didn’t figure was that the tools’ user numbers would grow exponentially, from 4,000 visits in 2013 to more than 80,000 so far in 2015.

“It grew so quickly,” said Shannah Mulvihill, MHM executive director. “Now we are stepping back and saying, ‘Whoa: This is a really successful outreach. There are so many people that we can help here. How can we take advantage of that?’ ”

Founded 76 years ago, MHM is an independent nonprofit formerly known as the Mental Health Association of Minnesota. The organization was conceived as a watchdog, to “make sure that people who were institutionalized in state hospitals were getting the care they deserved,” Mulvihill said. Today, with most state psychiatric hospitals closed, MHM continues to play an advocacy role for Minnesotans with mental illness, lobbying for supportive legislation, scheduling speaking engagements with individuals and organizations, and running the MN Warmline, a support and resource line for people in mental health recovery staffed by certified peer support specialists.

Mulvihill said that her organization had done very little promotion for the four online screening tools, which help users determine if they or a loved one are experiencing depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder, so they were surprised to learn that so many visitors had been taking the screenings.

“We don’t know how all these people started hearing about the screenings and coming to the site,” Mulvihill said. “I’m having a hard time putting my finger on it exactly. But no matter how it happened, we see the growth as positive because screenings like these are a safe place for people to inquire about what’s going on with their mental health — and a jumping-off point for people to get the help they need.”

How online screenings work

The mental health screenings posted on the MHM website were developed by Screening for Mental Health, a Massachusetts-based organization that provides customized online screening tools for organizations nationwide.

Screening for Mental Health was founded by Douglas Jacobs, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist.

“Dr. Jacobs was seeing his colleagues in physical medicine set up health screenings — like blood pressure screenings — in public places,” explained Michelle Holmberg, Screening for Mental Health director of programs. “He thought to himself, ‘Why aren’t we checking up on our mental health in this way?’ ” Jacobs wanted to normalize discussions about mental health, she said.

The online screenings, which guide users through a series of diagnostic questions and conclude with a potential diagnosis and advice for next steps, only take a few minutes to complete. Mulvihill said that most people take the screenings because they are concerned about the mental health of themselves or others. It’s not something you’d typically do if you were feeling secure about the state of your mental health, she added.

“Most people taking this screening are concerned for some reason about something that’s going on,” Mulvihill said. And most of the time people’s suspicions are correct: “The vast majority of screenings come back with the result that symptoms are consistent with the disorder that they are taking the screening for.”

Younger demographic

Screening participants’ identities are kept anonymous, but the interface relays basic data, including age and gender, to the site sponsor. Mulvihill said that 85 percent of visitors taking screenings on the MHM site are between the ages of 18-34. Sixty-three percent are between the ages of 18-24.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, she said. Younger people tend to feel more comfortable turning to the Internet for information and advice.

“I think different age groups look for help in different ways,” she said. “If I’m 65 years old, I am probably not going to jump on my iPhone and do a screening. I’m more likely going to talk to my primary-care doctor.”

Sue Abderholden, executive director of NAMI Minnesota, said that mental illness tends to strike young people at higher rates. And given the generation’s general comfort with and trust in technology, it would only make sense that they’d go online for mental health screenings.

“Mental illness is a young person’s illness,” Abderholden said “And young people go online all the time for anything. If they are wondering, ‘Do I have liver cancer?’ ‘Do I have this?’ They look online. It’s a natural next step.”

Because the screenings have proved so popular with a younger demographic, Mulvihill said that MHM has been working to make sure that they go to places where younger people gather. She wants more young people to know online mental health screening is available — and to be comfortable with the idea that it is just as important to take care of your mental health as it is to take care of your physical health.

“When we are out doing college health and wellness fairs, we give out information about our screenings,” Mulvihill said. “This year, we also did some outreach for colleges and universities on National Depression Screening Day.” Since they’ve only recently become aware of the screenings’ popularity among this age group, they are still trying to figure out how to best take advantage of the platform, she said. “That’s just something we’re really starting to dig into. It’s grown so quickly and so much that we are stepping back and thinking what we should do next.”

Take the next step

While online mental health screening tools can be an important step in getting care for a mental health concern, it’s also important to remember that screenings are just the first step in the process of caring for your mental health, Abderholden said.

“One thing to remember is a screening tool is not a diagnosis. A screening tool is a thermometer. It might tell you if you have a fever, but it won’t tell you what you have or how to treat it.”

Abderholden is concerned that online mental health screening tools may only scratch the surface of an issue, and without the human connection made by talking with a trained mental health professional, a person may be left with a diagnosis — and nowhere to turn.

“The only worry I have about an online screening tool is do people know what to do if they get a diagnosis of possible depression?” Abderholden said. “We want to make sure that people get the referral, that they know what should happen next, that they know what to do. It’s a first step, but people need to take the next step.”

The MHM screening tool provides a list of phone numbers and links to organizations to contact for more help and guidance, Mulvihill said: “We see this as is a first shot at reaching people who need help and aren’t getting it. Ideally, someone goes online, takes a screening, and it shows that their symptoms are consistent with depression, bipolar or another mental health issue, they go to a doctor and have testing done to confirm the diagnosis. Then they get started thinking through their treatment options. It’s just the first step in the healing process. ”

Mulvihill sees the increased interest in online screening as a positive sign that people are becoming more aware of their mental health and the stigma around mental illness may be lifting. Research has shown that early intervention in cases of mental illness leads to a longer, more fulfilling life.

“Our message is that recovery is possible and mental illness is treatable,” she said. “You are not a lost cause. But the sooner people get mental health care, the better off they will be.”

This article was written by Andy Steiner and published in MinnPost on October 23, 2015. 

SAINT PAUL, Oct 7. For immediate release.

October 8, 2015 marks the 25th year of National Depression Screening Day. In the last year alone, more than 80,000 individuals have taken an interest in assessing their mental health through the online screening tool provided on the Mental Health Minnesota website, and the numbers are growing. 63% of people taking the online screening are between the ages of 18-24 and 85% between 18-34.

So what’s happening here?

First of all, we know that young people are actively concerned about their mental health, and rightfully so. Between the ages of 18-24 is when people are facing the world on their own for the first time. They are paying bills, going to college, living on their own and building a life. Incidentally, the ages of 18-24 is often when onset for mental illness occurs.

Screening results show that 62% of individuals who took the screening for depression and 72% who took the test for anxiety had never been treated. Those numbers jumped when an individual took the screening for bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); 93% of those people had never received treatment.

And yet, all of these screenings found the vast majority of individuals to be “at risk” for the illness.

The role of mental health screening

Mental health occurs along a continuum. For many young adults it is extremely difficult to know when to ask for help.

At what point does homesickness turn into depression? When do homework and life stressors turn into anxiety? When do the highs and lows of being a young adult point to bipolar disorder? The lines are blurred.

Online screening acts to make it a little clearer. The screening is an anonymous, non-judgmental way for adults to determine where they are on that mental health continuum. Anyone can take the screening anywhere at anytime. Over 60% of all screening completed is on a mobile device. You could be sitting on a bus or at the library and the person next to you would not know you were participating in a screening.

Knowledge is power.

Two-thirds of all mental illnesses have an onset by the age of 25. The average length of time between onset and treatment is 10 years. Those living with a serious mental illness are dying 25 years before those without a mental illness.

By determining whether someone answering questions is “at risk” of a mental illness, we can work to significantly reduce the gap between onset and treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment not only can improve someone’s quality of life but also their longevity. Knowing you may have a mental illness is the first step toward recovery and a fulfilling life.

Mental Health Minnesota: The Voice of Recovery provides the free online screening at mentalhealthmn.org.

About Mental Health Minnesota: The Voice of Recovery

The mission of Mental Health Minnesota is to enhance mental health, promote individual empowerment, and increase access to treatment and services for persons living with mental illness.

We work to help people in their journey toward mental health recovery and wellness through direct service, public policy, education and outreach.

Contact
Shannah Mulvihill
Executive Director
Mental Health Minnesota
Phone: 651-756-8584 ext. 1
Email: [email protected]

-or-

Hali Kolkind
Development and Communications Associate
Mental Health Minnesota
Phone: 651-756-8584 ext.9
Email: [email protected]

http://www.topcounselingschools.org/bipolar-disorders/

Lisa Schlein
July 14, 2015 11:57 AM

GENEVA—
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide who suffer from mental disorders get little or no treatment, the World Health Organization reports. Its Mental Health Atlas 2014 finds that though mental illness constitutes 10 percent of the global health burden, it draws just 1 percent of the financial and human resources needed.

The Atlas provides the most comprehensive look to date at the global state of mental health. It contains data from 171 countries, representing 95 percent of the world’s population.

The report finds every country, region, age group and strata of society suffers significantly from mental disorders. Yet, it says the mental health field attracts very few nurses and other health care professionals and draws minimal spending.

A wide health-care gap separates poor and rich countries. The ratio of mental health care providers in low- and middle-income countries is one per 100,000 people compared to one per 2,000 in wealthy countries, the report said.

The financial gap also is broad. Poor countries spend less than $2 per capita each year on mental health, compared to more than $50 in high-income countries, according to the report.

Stigma interferes

Communities and countries do not pay enough attention to mental health problems because of stigma, Shekhar Saxena, director of WHO’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, told VOA. He said people shrink from speaking about their problems for fear of losing status in their societies or losing their jobs and relationships.

“There is a misconception that once a person is mentally ill … nothing much can be done about it, which is far from the truth,” Saxena said. “WHO’s documents have very clearly highlighted the fact that largely mental disorders are treatable. People can become all right – completely all right or partially all right – can go back to their job[s], can look after their normal roles and functioning in a very satisfactory way.”

Mental health disorders are continuing to increase, WHO said, with one in four people affected at some point over a lifetime. But three out of four people with severe disorders receive no treatment.

Serious consequences

Health systems’ inadequate responses are having serious consequences, it said, warning that depression will be the leading cause of disease burden by 2030.

Data from the Atlas show 900,000 people a year commit suicide, which also is the second most-common cause of death among young people.

The report also said people with mental health ailments suffer a wide range of human rights violations.

It’s much better to treat people with mental disorders in community-based settings than in institutions, WHO’s report said. Unfortunately, it noted the majority of spending – 82 percent – goes to mental hospitals, which serve a small proportion of those who need care.

//

Time spent on smartphone and GPS location sensor data detect depression

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

CHICAGO — You can fake a smile, but your phone knows the truth. Depression can be detected from your smartphone sensor data by tracking the number of minutes you use the phone and your daily geographical locations, reports a small Northwestern Medicine study.

The more time you spend using your phone, the more likely you are depressed. The average daily usage for depressed individuals was about 68 minutes, while for non-depressed individuals it was about 17 minutes.

Spending most of your time at home and most of your time in fewer locations — as measured by GPS tracking — also are linked to depression. And, having a less regular day-to-day schedule, leaving your house and going to work at different times each day, for example, also is linked to depression.

Based on the phone sensor data, Northwestern scientists could identify people with depressive symptoms with 87 percent accuracy.

“The significance of this is we can detect if a person has depressive symptoms and the severity of those symptoms without asking them any questions,” said senior author David Mohr, director of the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We now have an objective measure of behavior related to depression. And we’re detecting it passively. Phones can provide data unobtrusively and with no effort on the part of the user.”

The research could ultimately lead to monitoring people at risk of depression and enabling health care providers to intervene more quickly.

The study will be published July 15 in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

The smart phone data was more reliable in detecting depression than daily questions participants answered about how sad they were feeling on a scale of 1 to 10. Their answers may be rote and often are not reliable, said lead author Sohrob Saeb, a postdoctoral fellow and computer scientist in preventive medicine at Feinberg.

“The data showing depressed people tended not to go many places reflects the loss of motivation seen in depression,” said Mohr, who is a clinical psychologist and professor of preventive medicine at Feinberg. “When people are depressed, they tend to withdraw and don’t have the motivation or energy to go out and do things.”

While the phone usage data didn’t identify how people were using their phones, Mohr suspects people who spent the most time on them were surfing the web or playing games, rather than talking to friends.

“People are likely, when on their phones, to avoid thinking about things that are troubling, painful feelings or difficult relationships,” Mohr said. “It’s an avoidance behavior we see in depression.”

Saeb analyzed the GPS locations and phone usage for 28 individuals (20 females and eight males, average age of 29) over two weeks. The sensor tracked GPS locations every five minutes.

To determine the relationship between phone usage and geographical location and depression, the subjects took a widely used standardized questionnaire measuring depression, the PHQ-9, at the beginning of the two-week study. The PHQ-9 asks about symptoms used to diagnose depression such as sadness, loss of pleasure, hopelessness, disturbances in sleep and appetite, and difficulty concentrating. Then, Saeb developed algorithms using the GPS and phone usage data collected from the phone, and correlated the results of those GPS and phone usage algorithms with the subjects’ depression test results.

Of the participants, 14 did not have any signs of depression and 14 had symptoms ranging from mild to severe depression.

The goal of the research is to passively detect depression and different levels of emotional states related to depression, Saeb said.

The information ultimately could be used to monitor people who are at risk of depression to, perhaps, offer them interventions if the sensor detected depression or to deliver the information to their clinicians.

Future Northwestern research will look at whether getting people to change those behaviors linked to depression improves their mood.

“We will see if we can reduce symptoms of depression by encouraging people to visit more locations throughout the day, have a more regular routine, spend more time in a variety of places or reduce mobile phone use,” Saeb said.

###

This research was funded by research grants P20 MH090318 and K08 MH 102336 from the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health.

‘Affordable Colleges Online’ created this guide to inform college students (and their friends and families) on the various on-campus and online resources they can use should a mental health concern arise:

affordablecollegesonline.org/college-student-mental-health/

February is American Heart Month. People with heart disease are at a higher risk for depression. In fact, up to 33 percent of heart attack patients end up developing some degree of depression – three times the rate compared to the general population.

How are depression and heart disease linked? People with heart disease are more likely to suffer from depression than otherwise healthy people. Angina and heart attacks are closely linked with depression. Researchers are unsure exactly why this occurs. They do know that some symptoms of depression may reduce a person’s overall physical and mental health, increasing the risk for heart disease or making symptoms of heart disease worse. Fatigue or feelings of worthlessness may cause a person to ignore their medication plan and avoid treatment for heart disease. Having depression increases the risk of death after a heart attack.

What are the signs and symptoms of depression? Not everyone will experience the same symptoms of depression, but symptoms may include:

• Ongoing sad, anxious, or empty feelings
• Feeling hopeless
• Feeling guilty, worthless, or helpless
• Feeling irritable or restless
• Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once enjoyable, including sex
• Feeling tired all the time
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, a condition called insomnia, or sleeping all the time
• Overeating or loss of appetite
• Thoughts of death and suicide or suicide attempts
• Ongoing aches and pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease with treatment

Treating depression can help a person manage their heart disease and improve their overall health. Common treatments for depression are psychotherapy, medication, or combination of both.

Visit the National Institute of Mental Health website for more information on depression and heart disease.

To take a free, anonymous mental health self-assessment that screens for depression and other common mental health conditions visit our online screening.

The holidays are upon us. For many people, this joyous time of year can also be very stressful. According to an online poll by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, nearly three-quarters of people reported that the holiday season makes them feel very or a bit more anxious and/or depressed.

The following are a few tips^* on how to manage some of the stresses that are often associated with the holidays.

• Set reasonable expectations and don’t expect the holiday season to be perfect.
• Practice healthy drinking habits. Alcohol is a depressant and can exacerbate feelings of stress and sadness. Too much alcohol can also interfere with healthy sleep and interrupt natural sleep cycles.
• Keep up your exercise regimen, as it will provide effective stress relief and productive alone time. A short daily walk can have a big impact.
• Set spending limits and stick to them. Over-spending during the holidays can lead to continued stress down the road.
• Treat your body well with balanced nutrition but don’t feel guilty when indulging during the holidays. Moderation is key and is a far healthier response to holiday treats than starvation.
• Create a space and time for yourself during family gatherings. Take a walk outside, find a quiet corner in the house, or make a quick trip to the store to gather your thoughts and relax.
• Plan any shopping and cooking in advance. Setting a schedule and making priorities will prevent too much from piling up at the last minute.
• Talk to someone. Seek support and affirmation of how your expectations for the season don’t always match with reality. A good listener and a little laugh can be great stress relievers.

Sometimes “holiday blues” are more than just passing emotions and can be something more serious like depression, anxiety, or a related disorder. If you have prolonged anxiety, sadness, or a mood that interferes with sleeping, eating or other usual activities, you may want to talk with a health professional.

*From Screening for Mental Health, Inc., “Help Your Community Deal With Holiday Stress”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s November 28, 2014, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), highlighted that in 2010, 20% of all visits to primary care physicians included at least one of the following mental health indicators: depression screening, counseling, a mental health diagnosis or reason for visit, psychotherapy, or provision of a psychotropic drug. The percentage of mental health–related visits to primary care physicians increased with age through age 59 years and then stabilized. Approximately 6% of visits were for children that were 11 years old or younger and approximately 31% of visits were for adults aged 75 years or older were associated with mental health care. The data was obtained from the 2010 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, which can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ahcd.htm

* A mental health visit was defined by at least one of the following: ordering or provision of depression screening, psychotherapy, or other mental health counseling; a mental health diagnosis or reason for visit; or a psychotropic medication that was ordered, supplied, administered, or continued at the visit. Mental health diagnosis, reason for visit, and psychotropic medications were based on certain categories. Source: Olfson M, Kroenke K, Wang S, Blanco C. Trends in office-based mental health care provided by psychiatrists and primary care physicians. J Clin Psychiatry 2014;75:247–53.

† Includes physicians in primary care specialties: general and family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology.

§ 95% confidence interval

Depression is a common health condition that affects an estimated 1 in 10 U.S. adults. Thursday, October 9th, 2014, is National Depression Screening Day (NDSD). NDSD, developed by Screening for Mental Health Inc., brings awareness about depression and promotes online screenings for depression and other common mental heath disorders. MHAM has partnered with Screening for Mental Health, Inc. for the last 8 years to provide these screenings.

Why online screening for depression? Because online depression screening is effective. Results from a 2009 independent research study by the University of Connecticut, commissioned by Screening for Mental Health, states that depression screenings are effective in connecting at-risk individuals with treatment. The study showed that 55% of participants, who completed an online depression screening and who agreed to participate in a follow-up survey, sought depression treatment within three months of the screening.

Who can take the online screening? The online screening is made available to everyone visiting the MHAM website and is taken anonymously. This screening is not a substitute for a diagnosis, but it will help determine whether or not a consultation from a health professional would be helpful. The self-assessment screens for depression and also for bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.

Are you unable to take the screening on October 9th? No problem. The online screening is available 24/7, 365 days of the year! Take a few minutes to complete this free and anonymous mental health screening.

For more information and resources on depression visit our website at: https://mentalhealthmn.org/be-informed/mental-health-resources/depression