1 Seventeen Minute Program

For: Health care and mental health professionals, psychiatrists,nurses, counselors, and psychotherapy students and supervisors.

Goals:
At the conclusion of the program, the viewer will be able to:

1. Assess the individual by specific categories included in the mental status exam;
2. Identify specific characteristics and features typical of depressed individuals;
3. Identify information absent from this interview which may be helpful in formulating an accurate assessment;
4. List interviewing skills and techniques utilized by the clinician;
5. Determine the relative severity of depression by examination of the intensity of individual symptoms

Depression is one of the most widespread mental health problems of our times. Some experts estimate that one out of every five of us suffers from depression, whether it is mild, moderate, or severe in intensity. Probably the most crucial factor in the effective treatment of depression is its early and accurate detection. In order to objectively assess the presence, severity, and perhaps dangerousness of depression we must be certain of its manifestations. How does depression effect someone? What do we look for? This program is designed for the purpose of demonstrating a case of depression for evaluation. The symptoms of depression are given life through this dramatic portrayal allowing us to observe their influence on the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of a young man in distress.