Portage County – How are you feeling? The Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County launched an online mental health screening tool to their website. The screening is completely anonymous and confidential. A person’s results appear immediately following the brief questionnaire, along with recommendations and local resources.
Brief screenings are the quickest way to determine if a person should connect with a mental health professional. Recently, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its recommendation for depression screening. It now recommends screening for depression in the general adult population, including pregnant and postpartum women, and gives it the same level of importance as yearly mammograms, diabetes screening in overweight and obese patients, and lung-cancer screening for at risk patients, among other things.
The screenings are to be completed by persons over the age 18. Persons under age 18 with symptoms of depression are advised to talk with their parents or guardians about seeing a physician or qualified mental health professional for a complete evaluation.
The Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County contracts with local agencies to provide mental health and addiction treatment services for the residents of the county. The agencies in the network are Children’s Advantage, Coleman Professional Services, Family & Community Services, and Townhall II. For more information and to take a free online screening, visit www.mental-health-recovery.org.
