The Counseling and Student Development Center is hosting a Depression Screening Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in the Lincoln Room of the Holmes Student Center.

Students, faculty and staff will be able to take a brief written survey designed to screen for depression symptoms. Later, a counselor will review the survey with the participant.

Carolyn Bershad, associate director of the Counseling and Student Development Center, said the screening process is just a screening.

“We will not be diagnosing anyone going through the screening, since that only should be done through a complete evaluation for depression,” Bershad said.

If a participant does show signs of depression, the counselor will discuss what options are available to the participant. It will, however, be up to the participant to seek professional help.

Bershad said students and faculty are able to visit the screening without having to be screened.

“You don’t have to come for a screening. You can come to get informed,” Bershad said, adding that flyers and brochures with information on depression will be available at the screening.

Various medical experts agree that depression is a serious problem. The American College Health Association (ACHA) lists depression as one of the top five impediments to academic performance. In the ACHA’s fall 2006 report, 14.5 percent of college students reportedly were diagnosed with depression.

If left untreated, depression can lead to debilitating problems or suicide. Two danger signs, according to the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit medical practice, is a sufferer’s withdrawal from activities and relationships and “putting affairs in order,” such as saying goodbye to friends or giving away prized possessions.

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