The Hawaii Clinical Research Center is one of 2,000 sites across the nation that will offer free mental health screenings tomorrow during National Depression Screening Day. Help offered to people
depressed by 9/11 eventsBy Helen Altonn
haltonn@starbulletin.com"It's a good opportunity; it's free and it's completely anonymous," said Dr. Denis Mee-Lee, center director. "People aren't registered as patients."
The free screenings are planned to help people who were affected by the Sept. 11 attacks and other disturbing events of the past year.
Mee-Lee said the center, at 1750 Kalakaua Ave., Suite 2602, will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. to accommodate people after work. They can call 864-3214 to make an appointment or just walk in, he said.
A fairly standardized assessment is being used by screening sites across the country, he said.
"It doesn't take long to complete. It is fairly simple and fairly nonintrusive. It gives a lot of feedback, information on the person."
Counselors will be available to discuss information with people screened, Mee-Lee said.
"That gives an opportunity both to inform the individual about the level of depression, as well as to discuss alternatives for follow-up that include various resources in the community," such as professional clinics, hospitals and support groups, he said.
Dr. Douglas Jacobs, Harvard Medical School psychiatry professor and executive director of National Depression Screening Day, said, "The past 12 months have been filled with tragedy and loss -- Sept. 11th, the crumbling economy, bio-terrorism, corruption in corporate America, church scandals and a string of child kidnappings -- leaving many Americans overwhelmed with feelings of helplessness, sadness, anger and fear and the distinct impression that the sands have shifted beneath our feet."
A report in the August Journal of The American Medical Association said researchers found elevated symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder in New York City's metropolitan area and among those who witnessed the attacks on television.
Jacobs said it is understandable and normal for people to feel sad, angry, tense or irritable, to have trouble sleeping or nightmares, but the symptoms should disappear over time. If they persist or interfere with a person's ability to function normally, professional help should be sought, he said.
Hawaii Clinical Research Center