University of Idaho students and Moscow community members alike will have the opportunity to be screened and seek help for depression or anxiety during the National Mood Disorder Screening Day event Oct. 6.
The UI Counseling and Testing Center is hosting the screening event, which will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the upper canvas area of the Idaho Commons.
Kristyn Funasaki, doctoral psychology intern for the CTC, said the event is a good way to increase awareness about services available to treat certain mood disorders.
She said the most common mood disorders include depression, officially called major depressive disorder, and any form of an anxiety disorder. The most common anxiety disorder is general anxiety disorder (GAD), and consists of a person excessively worrying about most things in their life, Funasaki said.
She said students who attend the event can expect a brief questionnaire, followed by a feedback session.
“Usually, we can’t necessarily diagnose right then and there,” Funasaki said. “But it does give us an indication of whether or not the student or community member might be dealing with issues around depression or anxiety.”
Funasaki said if part of a person’s feedback was to seek diagnosis and treatment, they can visit the CTC.
“Depression and any sort of anxiety disorder are very treatable,” she said. “There are a lot of evidence-based practices that have been found to treat depression and anxiety fairly well.”
Funasaki said treatment may consist of a combination of both therapy and medication, depending on the severity of symptoms.
“Here at the Counseling and Testing Center, we can offer both of those — psychotropic medication and psychotherapy,” Funasaki said.
She said oftentimes students don’t meet all of the diagnostic criteria for a disorder after being screened. The CTC staff find instead that a student is experiencing some of the symptoms of depression or anxiety.
“It’s pretty common to experience these symptoms, especially as college students,” Funasaki said.
The American Psychological Association reports, by the age of 24, one in four people will experience a depressive episode. These episodes may lead to suicide if left untreated.
The American College Health Association reports that suicide is the No. 1 cause of death in college students and 9.4 percent of students surveyed seriously considered attempting suicide at least once in a one-year span.
Funasaki said the UI CTC staff found similar data upon surveying UI students.
She said they try to keep the screening event as confidential as possible. Students are able to fill the survey out by themselves.
“When we give feedback, we do try to step aside from the crowd,” Funasaki said. “But if they did decide to come into the Counseling and Testing Center, all of those sessions are strictly confidential.”
UI junior Brittany Wahl said she was approached by CTC staff in the Commons last year, to take the screen.
“It consisted of a ton of questions about my mood,” she said. “Although it didn’t necessarily pertain to me, and I didn’t need feedback, I think a lot of students could benefit from this event. Depression and anxiety seem common in people my age.”
Wahl said it’s important for students to be aware of all the resources offered on campus.
For more information about services the UI CTC has to offer, visit its website at www.uidaho.edu/CTC.