SWFL health experts support anxiety, depression screenings for all adults under 65

Mental illness affects one in five Americans, and taking the first steps to get checked out can be scary. In an effort to detect mental illness earlier, it’s now recommended that everyone younger than 65 gets screened for depression and anxiety.

For the first time, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is recommending these screenings for all adults younger than 65. The task force especially recommends depression screenings for those who are pregnant or postpartum, because depression can occur up to one year after childbirth.

Dr. Alejandro Perez-Trepichio, chief medical officer at Millennium Physician Group, says there are many forms of anxiety and depression, and people can suffer from them through underlying conditions that they may not even know they have.

“We ask a particular set of questions that give us a score, and according to this score we can determine the presence, or not, of a certain condition—in this case, depression,” Perez-Trepichio said. “It’s extremely important to recognize that many causes diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, do have underlying situations for the depression.”

The difference between depression and anxiety is that the former affects how you feel, act and think, while the latter causes you to experience excessive fear or worry. Perez-Trepichio warns patients that depression and anxiety can set in when you least expect them.

“Let’s say somebody has had an event recently… they could be, you know, an open heart surgery or some major event, and we should make it part of the visit… that series of questions that may reveal, you know, the underlying cause that, among other things, could be either anxiety or depression.”

Health officials say the best way to get a screening is by contacting your physician. It’s important for adults to not only get these screenings but to follow up on them, so they can get the treatment they need immediately.