The Counseling Center will be offering a free depression and anxiety screening in the Atrium of the Culp Center on Oct. 8 to mark National Depression and Anxiety Screening Day. The screening, administered in the form of a short, written test, will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
According to a health survey administered to students in 2001, depression is a major problem on the campus of East Tennessee State University.
In the survey, 12.7 percent of the student population said they had been diagnosed with depression in the previous 12 months, and 9 percent responded that they had had serious thoughts of suicide.
“When I heard these statistics, they grabbed my attention,” said Gary Petiprin, director of the counseling center. “The survey showed that mental health factors impacted class performance more than any other factor.”
The most common type of depression is major depression, in which intense feelings of depression last for a short period of time. Another type is dysthymic disorder, in which mild depression can last for years. The third type of depression is manic depression, where a person alternates between drastic highs and devastating lows.
Symptoms of depression include depressed mood, tearfulness, change in appetite, change in sleep patterns, lack of concentration, irritability, loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, social isolation, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of suicide.
According to the Counseling Center’s website, each student participating in the screening will also have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a counselor.
All information will be kept confidential. For further information, contact Kim Bushore-Maki by phone at 439-4841 or by e-mail at bushorem@etsu.edu.

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