Welcome to "Health Talkin'
with Doc Griggs". In
conjunction with the Xavier
School of Pharmacy Health
and Wellness Center, we
will discuss topics that we
find most relevant in our
community. Our shared goal is
to help you "Get Checked. Get
Fit. Get Moving! ™"
This month we tackle...
Health
Talkin'
with
References:
1. Depression. Lexi-drugs. Lexicomp.
Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Riverwoods,
IL. Available at http://online.lexi.com.
ezproxy.xula.edu/lco/action/doc/retrieve/
docid/disandproc/3647962. Accessed 28
Sep. 2017.
2. Gilbody, Simon, et al. "Screening for
Depression in Medical Settings with the
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ):
A Diagnostic Meta-Analysis." Journal of
General Internal Medicine, vol. 22, no. 11,
Nov. 2007, pp. 1596-1602. EBSCOhost,
ezproxy.xula.edu/login?url=http://search.
ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db
=mdc&AN=17874169&site=ehost-live.
3. Hirschtritt, Matthew E and Kurt
Kroenke. "Screening for Depression."
JAMA, vol. 318, no. 8, 22 Aug. 2017,
pp. 745-746. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1001/
jama.2017.9820.
4. Screening for Depression in adults. In:
UpToDate, Post, TW (ED), UpToDate,
Waltham,
MA, 2017.
Depression
Authors: McFarland, Taylor; Kirchain, William PharMD; Griggs, Eric M.D.
What is depression? Depression is
a disorder that makes you sad, but
it is different than normal sadness.
Depression can make it hard for you
to work, study, or do everyday tasks1.
Depressed people feel unhappy,
downcast or miserable most of the
time for at least two weeks.
They also have at least one of these
symptoms1:
… no longer enjoy or care about
doing things
… feeling sad, down, hopeless,
downhearted or rejected most of the
day
… feeling clueless, incompetent,
doomed or desperate most of the day
… irritable, testy, short-tempered,
grouchy or cranky most of the day
Depression can also make you lose
or gain weight, sleep too much or
too little. You can feel tired or have
no energy. You can feel guilty or like
you are worth nothing, forget things
or feel confused, and can even think
about death or suicide.
Who should be screened for
depression? It is recommended that
screening for depression be done
regularly on most adults, teenagers,
pregnant women and women who
recently had their babies4. Screening
for depression can begin at as young
as seven years old.
There are many different tools
for “screening” for depression. One
tool is called the patient health
questionnaire two form or PHQ-
2. The PHQ-2 is made up of two
questions that rank the severity of
the symptoms of depression3. This
screening test can be given in person,
over the telephone, or you can fill out
the questions yourself2.
If you score high on this test it is
recommended that you be seen by
qualified mental health professionals.
If you think you might be depressed
ask someone for help. The treatment
locator at https://findtreatment.
samhsa.gov/can assist you. You can
also call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
or 1-800-662-HELP (4357), any
day or night.
JANUARY / F E B R UARY 2 0 1 8 breakthrumediamagazine.com | BREAKTHRU MEDIA | 11
