The Pat Walker Health Center's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is proud to participate in the annual National Depression Screening Day by offering students free screenings for depression and other mood disorders from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Wednesday, Oct. 4 in the Arkansas Union Connections Lounge.

National Depression Screening Day is dedicated to raising awareness and screening people for depression and related mood and anxiety disorders. NDSD is the nation's oldest voluntary, community-based screening program that gives access to validated screening questionnaires and provides referral information for treatment.

"Mental Health deserves the same attention as physical health," said Kendra Glasper, mental health clinician and CAPS outreach coordinator. "We hope to not only raise awareness for mental health disorders, but also connect students who may be struggling with depression or other mood disorders to various resources available to them."

Depression screenings are effective in linking at-risk individuals with treatment options, as more than half of participants end up seeking treatment within three months of being screened. 

Depression affects more than 15 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year. Only about half of Americans diagnosed with major depression each year receive treatment for it, with only one fifth receiving treatment aligned with current practice guidelines.