PRINTER'S NO. 1163
No. 186 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY WASHINGTON, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing Thursday, October 6, 2005, as "National Depression
2 Screening Day" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, "National Depression Screening Day" (NDSD) began 15
4 years ago as the first nationwide community-based health
5 screening program; and
6 WHEREAS, NDSD is currently the largest provider of mental
7 health screening services in the United States; and
8 WHEREAS, NDSD has expanded in recent years to offer in-person
9 and online screening for the four most common mental disorders:
10 depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and
11 posttraumatic stress disorder; and
12 WHEREAS, NDSD mental health screening is designed to call
13 public attention to mood and anxiety disorders on a national
14 level; and
15 WHEREAS, NDSD mental health screening educates the public and
16 clinicians about symptoms and effective treatments; and
17 WHEREAS, NDSD mental health screening gives individuals the
1 opportunity to be screened for disorders; and
2 WHEREAS, NDSD connects individuals in need of treatment with
3 the mental health care system; and
4 WHEREAS, According to the Journal of the American Medical
5 Association (JAMA), about 16% of surveyed adults experience
6 depression during their lifetime; and
7 WHEREAS, According to JAMA, 7% of surveyed adults said they
8 suffered from depression within the past year; and
9 WHEREAS, According to JAMA, only one-fifth of adults who
10 suffer from depression receive adequate treatment; and
11 WHEREAS, According to the National Health Policy Forum Issue
12 Brief No. 786 dated November 22, 2002, people with depression
13 use two to four times more health care than people without
14 mental illness; and
15 WHEREAS, It was reported in Issue Brief No. 786 that total
16 medical expenditures for people with common mental disorders,
17 including depression, were four-and-a-half times greater than
18 expenditures for people without mental illness; and
19 WHEREAS, It was reported that depression increases the risk
20 for common chronic conditions such as heart disease; therefore
21 be it
22 RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize Thursday, October 6,
23 2005, as "National Depression Screening Day" in Pennsylvania;
24 and be it further
25 RESOLVED, That the Senate urge all residents of this
26 Commonwealth to take advantage of this opportunity to
27 participate in the NDSD mental health screening.
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