Counselor Magazine - SEMI-STRUCTURED SCREENING INTERVIEW FOR DEPRESSION

Newsflash

The Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse will hold its 32nd Annual AMERSA National Conference on November 6-8, 2008, in Washington DC.

The meeting will reflect on AMERSA's interdisciplinary strengths and the commitment to disseminate the latest developments in substance abuse education, prevention, treatment and research that challenge all health care professionals.

Confirmed plenary sessions include:

Carlo DiClemente, PhD and Thaddeus Herzog, PhD in a Spicy Debate - Contemplating Change: The Pros and Cons of the Transtheoretical Model for Understanding Changes in Substance Use

John Rodolico, PhD, Terence Keane, PhD and Susan Storti, PhD, RN in a Plenary Panel Session on Combat Stress and Substance Abuse in the Wake of War

Randolph D. Muck, MEd, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, speaking on Adolescent/Emerging Adults

John Cunningham, PhD, Senior Scientist Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, speaking on the Internet and New Media as Tools to Recovery

Jerome Jaffe, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine, will be the recipient of the distinguished John P. McGovern Award

Stephanie O'Malley, PhD, Director, Division of Substance Abuse Research, CMHC, will receive the prestigious Betty Ford Award honoring her valuable contributions to the substance abuse field.

Call for Abstracts now open. Submit abstracts and workshops online by May 15.

For further information, visit www.amersa.org or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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SEMI-STRUCTURED SCREENING INTERVIEW FOR DEPRESSION

Columns - Assessment Tools

Written by Sylvia Kay Fisher, PhD

Saturday, 30 September 2006

[N=15 open-ended items]

The Semi-Structured Screening Interview for Depression (SSID) is designed to screen for depressive tendencies in clients and inform therapists about the client's state of mind during the intake interview. The SSID can be used with both adults and adolescents; any age-specific items are clearly identified. The SSID should be administered verbally to clients, and users should duly note the client's affect and behavior during the interview - these observations can often provide useful clinical insights.

Counselors can restate or reword questions, as needed, but it is highly recommended that the substance of each question be addressed at some point during the interview. Counselors may also find they need to probe clients more completely on their responses to obtain additional valuable clinical details. The SSID CANNOT be used for diagnostic purposes and is only useful as a brief screening tool for possible depression in clients. No clinical decisions should be made on the basis of the SSID or any other single instrument.

CURRENT AFFECT/BEHAVIOR

1. How would you describe your mood right now? Please elaborate.

2. ‑Is your current mood different from a few weeks ago? [IF YES] How so? How about from many weeks ago?
[IF YES] How so?

3. Have you noticed any change in your interests recently? Please describe.

4. How are things going with your family? How about with your friends? Please explain.

5. ‑Has your family noticed any change in you? What have they reported to you lately? Any concerns or issues?
[IF YES] What are they?

6. ‑Have your friends noticed any change in you? What have they reported to you lately? Any concerns or issues?
[IF YES] What are they?

7. ‑Is your activity level currently higher, lower, or about the same as is typical for you? Please explain any recent changes in your activity level.

8. ‑[FOR ADOLESCENTS ONLY] How are things going in school? Any concerns or issues? [IF YES] What are they?

9. [FOR ADULTS & ADOLESCENTS] How are things going at work? Any concerns or issues? [IF YES] What are they?

SOMATIC ISSUES

10. ‑How have you been sleeping? Any change in your sleep pattern? Describe these changes and tell me when they began.

11. How have you been eating Any change in your eating habits? Describe these changes and tell me when they began.

12. Have you been unusually tired for no apparent reason? Please describe.

DEPRESSIVE/SUICIDAL IDEATION

14. ‑[ONLY ASK IF CLIENT MENTIONS ANY SUICIDAL IDEATION AT ANY POINT DURING THE INTERVIEW] Do you think about harming yourself? [IF YES] Have you any plans for what you would do about this? [IF YES] Please describe.

15. Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?

This article is published in Counselor,The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, October 2006, v.7, n.5, pp.71.

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