Philadelphia Offers Free Depression Screenings In Very Public Places
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - You may think LOVE Park is a funny place to get mental health advice, but the city expects to offer help to hundreds of people there today.
Philadelphia is doing free depression screenings as part of National Depression Screening Day.
If it seems unlikely that people would go to busy, public places to share their most confidential problems, Donna Careless of the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health says you should think again. This is the fourth year for the depression screenings, and she says workers typically see and counsel 400 people each time:
"Our belief is that we're reaching people that may not have access to resources otherwise."
Careless says, though, there are no criteria for who can stop by to be screened. She emphasizes it's not a diagnosis, but a way to investigate whether you should seek one:
"I would say that for a high percentage of people, something resonates for them with the screening process. It brings something up or for someone that they know and love."
Screeners will be in LOVE Park from 1-4 p.m. and in Suburban Station from 9 a.m. to noon.