Technology

Feeling depressed? Google knows it too! – Google Depression Screening

Are you depressed? Or not sure how you feel? No worries Google does that for you! Yes, the internet giant has made a friendly update that could help people realize their mental health with a questionnaire and a Score! All it takes is to fill the questions you will get a well-analyzed report indicating the current mental health. This article will provide the best insight into Google depression screening as why do we need it and how does it work?

We people have known to face health issues all the time but some are more frequent than the others. They tend to change over time but the idea of its repetitiveness remains the same. Today we live in the big digital world where everything involves the internet in one way or the other. From simple movie tickets to business meetings, people make use of the internet for everything.

Google depression screening

Money and the Research!

So this brings to the very question, what are we becoming? Well, the answer may not be satisfying. There are even many theories of people digitizing themselves. A human with digital consciousness is not a joke. One of the easy ways to put it is as a step towards immortality or to live forever in the digital realm. Many types of research are being carried out across the globe to test the feasibility of such an idea as we speak. Though it might sound frightening it is possible in the near future. One could find many of the technology giants have funneled a significant amount of money into the research.

Well other than such ideas, we people do have other important concerns. One among them includes Depression. Everyone would have felt blue in some part of their life but today the percentage has increased to an alarming level. It is more of a global scenario, so this draws the attention of all-powerful people to get a better idea of it. Some make it for business profits while some are into the welfare of others. Today there are plenty of modern resources available that could provide you with the best insight on depression.

Speaking of which Google, the internet giant has taken a step towards helping people to self-realize their mental state (level of depression) with the help of questionnaires.

Google depression screeningWhy Now?

Plenty of modern researches are being conducted all across the globe to validate the effective life of people. According to NAMI which stands for National Alliance on Mental illness analysis, One in Five Americans experience depression at least once in their lifetime. In addition, Google also says that one in 20 searches made in recent times is often related to health. This clearly indicates that depression is becoming more common among people. So the internet giant has decided to ease the search of people and provide more reliable information with ease.

Google has been working on many health development steps and this Depressing screening PHQ-9 questionnaire is the next step following its previous ones (BMI calculator, and location-based pollen counter). It provides a special box of information called the “Knowledge Graph” such as symptoms and treatments for some common health issues among people. This includes Flu, Headaches, Tonsillitis, and several other common conditions.

Google depression screening

What It Actually Does?

PHQ-9 Questionnaire is a private self-assessment that provides the score based on the severity of one’s depression. It stands for “Patient Health Questionnaire” and it is also clinically validated which makes it more reliable to use. This also raises several questions regarding the privacy of the information.  It contains several questions that one must answer more accordingly to get an accurate score. Google says that this information will not be stored or shared.  All it does is to provide the analyzed information that proves more helpful to people in engaging in useful conversation regarding the suitable treatment plans with their doctors. This Google depression screening saves plenty of time which is priceless given our modern busier lifestyle!

 

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Vivek

Vivek is a writing enthusiast fond of healthy and happy living. He believes Knowledge gets better when shared. So he founded The Mindful Bytes as a platform for people who love to read and write anything that has to do with Health, Tech, Business, Finance, and Lifestyle.

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