About a dozen people, both members from the Durham community and Duke faculty members, ventured to one of the Duke University Medical Center’s free depression screenings Thursday.
This is the first time since 2000 that Duke has participated in National Depression Screening Day. The new Psychiatry Chair, Sarah Lisanby, reestablished the tradition as a part of revitalizing clinical screenings and reaching out to the community—one of her six strategic goals for the department. Held in the Erwin Square Building and the Civitan Building, these screenings demonstrated the Psychiatry Department’s commitment to Durham’s well-being.
“We’re trying to reach out to the community to let them know what services are available here at Duke,” counselor Kate Thieda said. “The screening is important because it’s difficult for people to take the first step and come to counseling.”
The only component missing? Students.
“I’m not surprised that they didn’t show,” Thieda said. “Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is mainly the service for mental health for the college population.”
To learn more about the screening, I went through the entire process myself as the department’s only student participant. I first filled out the questionnaire, which was divided into four sections with each section testing for a different disorder: depression, bi-polar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The questions seemed straightforward, asking about specific symptoms and how often I feel or act a certain way. While taking the exam, I felt like I could easily identify the answers that would lead to a diagnosis of the disorder, making any clients prone to rigging their results. After the clinician walked me through my own results and explained them to me, I asked her about the possibility of clients recognizing the pattern and adjusting their answers.
“This screening is to get people thinking about their symptoms and what’s going on in their life, which may lead to getting help,” clinician Joy Brunson-Nsubuga said. “This is more of a screening instead of an actual assessment.”
After my evaluation, she showed me all of the available pamphlets and information about the four disorders, as well as research opportunities at Duke. The screening allows people in the community to learn about the resources available to them, whether or not the screening shows that they need help.
The total number of participants did not faze the department whatsoever.
“The goal was that if we help one person, it was successful," Brunson-Nsubuga said.
To learn more about Duke’s mental health services for adults, or to schedule an appointment or get a referral, call Duke’s Psychiatry Department at (919) 684-0100 or CAPS at (919) 660-1000.
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