By asking a series of standard questions, your physician can provide a successful screening for depression which helps produce a better diagnosis and treatment. Physicians are encouraged to routinely screen for depression. This can take place during a chronic illness visit or at a wellness visit. In addition to self-reported scale screenings, there are several screenings that are done by trained professionals such as the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), which has 17 or 21 items, scored from 0-2 or 0-4. A total score of 0-7 is noted as normal, while scores of 20 or higher imply moderately severe depression. Another scale screening used is the Geriatric Depression Scale (Jerry Halverson,
