Unlike colds and fever, clinical depression is not something you can easily self-diagnose or cure. And yet thousands of Americans still do so because either they’re afraid of going to a professional to seek help or they think they don’t really have a problem. But apparently 1 in 5 Americans experience at least one episode in their lifetime and only 50% of them receive treatment. Google has now teamed up with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to help people determine if they may be suffering from it and get the help they need.

Raising awareness about clinical depression is of course the first step that they’re going for and what better way to do so than to go to a platform where people are always looking for information. Usually, when you search for depression or clinical depression when you’re in the US, you’ll get a Knowledge Panel which includes information, symptoms, and possible treatment options. Now you’ll also see PHQ-9 in the search results. It is a clinically validated screening questionnaire which you can take if you suspect that you are suffering from it.

Simply tap on “Check if you’re clinically depressed” and it will lead you to 9 questions on this private self-assessment test that can help you find out what level of depression you might be suffering from. Taking this test may be the first step that most people take to get a diagnosis. It can then help you talk better with your doctor once you decide to take that next step which is to seek treatment.

They emphasized thought that the PHQ-9 is just one diagnostic tool that people can use and while it is clinically validated, it is by no means an encompassing diagnosis. Through this partnership, they are hoping to raise more awareness and consequently, more people will seek help for their clinical depression.

SOURCE: Google

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