Mental Health Screenings
Why would a speech therapist care about mental health?
If you’re not familiar with the full scope of practice of a speech language pathologist (SLP) — you may be wondering how mental health plays a role?
A majority of the patients that medical SLPs treat, are recovering from medical conditions commonly associated with depression & anxiety.
I always tell my patients,
your mental health comes before speech therapy.
It affects everything from their sleep, mood, appetite, and even the desire to open the door for our session. When appropriate, I encourage a social worker consult to discuss what “talk therapy” is like & what community resources are available.
Below is a list of some medical conditions commonly associated with depression and anxiety. You’ll also find 5 mental health screenings that fit multiple patient types and are used to screen for depression and anxiety.
Medical Diagnoses Associated with Mental Health Disorders
Common conditions in older adults which have high rates of anxiety, depression, delirium, and psychosis:
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Anxiety, Delirium, Depression)
• Diabetes Type I & II (Depression, Delirium)
• Parkinson Disease (Depression, Cognitive Impairment, Delirium, Psychosis)
• Multiple Sclerosis (Depression, Delirium, Psychosis)
• Huntington’s Disease (Depression, Delirium, Psychosis)
• Stroke (Depression, Delirium, Psychosis, Cognitive Impairment/Dementia)
• Urinary Tract Infections (Delirium)
• Cancer (Depression, Delirium)
• Thyroid conditions (Depression, Psychosis)
• Nutritional Deficiencies (Delirium, Depression)
• Vitamin B-12 Deficiency (Delirium, Depression)
• Hearing or Vision loss (Depression, Mask as Cognitive Impairment)
• Loss of mobility due to fractures, chronic pain or arthritis (Depression, Delirium)
• Dementia (Depression, Delirium, Psychosis)
Mental Health Screenings
The following list includes a variety of mental health screenings to fit multiple patient types and diagnoses.
The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is a self-report measure of depression in older adults. Users respond in a “Yes/No” format.
The Visual Analog Mood Scale (VAMS) is a reliable and valid measure of eight specific mood states: Afraid, Confused, Sad, Angry, Energetic, Tired, Happy, and Tense. This simple, brief test places minimal cognitive or linguistic demands on the respondent and is appropriate for neurologically impaired individuals or those who are unable to complete more verbally or cognitively demanding instruments. For medical & psychiatric settings.
The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) asks about the frequency of depressed mood and inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable, over the past two weeks. The purpose of the PHQ-2 is to screen for depression. Patients who screen positive should be further evaluated with the PHQ-9 to determine whether they meet criteria for a depressive disorder.
The Aphasic Depression Rating Scale (ADRS) was developed to detect and measure depression in patients with aphasia. Specifically during the subacute stage of stroke. The items measure insomnia, anxiety (both psychic and somatic), somatic symptoms (gastrointestinal), hypochondriasis, loss of weight, apparent sadness, mimic (slowness of facial mobility), and fatiguability.
The Beck Depression Inventory, is a 21-question multiple-choice self-report rating inventory that measures characteristic attitudes and symptoms of depression.
Caregivers and advocates, please consult your loved one’s healthcare team and physician if you have concerns for their mental health! 💪🏾 and now you’re armed with a little bit more knowledge.
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* (Blazer, 2002; Carnethon et al. 2007; Cummings & Mega, 2003; Desai, 2004; Hooyman & Kivak, 2008; Weintraub & Stern, 2005; Zarit & Zarit, 2007)
Image credits: Cover Photo by Andrew Neel
