He concurred with the federal report's findings, which were compiled in 1997. In addition to the statistics, Lazarus pointed out what symptoms employers and coworkers should look for if they believe a worker may be depressed. If you think someone may be depressed, watch for social withdrawal from family and friends, depressed or sad moods and overly negative thinking. He also noted that a person with depression may have trouble sleeping and awake early in the morning feeling anxious. Humana' s telephonic program includes a screening for depression and one for alcohol.
Callers use the telephone keypad to answer a series of prerecorded questions.
Employees may take either one or both of the screenings and they receive their results immediately. The new program, which is available at no cost to Humana employees and immediate family members, coincides with Mental Illness Awareness Week, which is observed during the week of October 4, and National Depression Screening Day, observed on October 7. The new program is being undertaken in cooperation with the National Mental Illness Screening Project, a nonprofit organization based in Wellesley Hills, MA that provides screening services to large employers like Humana as well as to hospitals and clinics around the country. Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is one of the nation's largest publicly traded managed health care companies with approximately 6.1 million medical members located primarily in 15 states and Puerto Rico.