The number mental health advocates want you to talk about

[HereSince1628]

Untreated mental illness costs the U.S. $105 billion in lost productivity each year, according to Mental Health America, an advocacy group.

What's more, the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare says people with untreated mental illness are four to six times more likely to be incarcerated and are more likely to hit emergency rooms for acute care.

So the folks at Mental Health America are encouraging people as part of Mental Health Month to complete a three-minute online screening.

"It's a mental health checkup you can take online, make sure that you're in good mental health," Steve Vetzner, media relations director at Mental Health America tells me. "If there are any problems you can take it to your physician."

From there, Vetzner says, a doctor will probably administer more tests.

The three-minute screening flags mood and anxiety disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Since May is Mental Health Month, it's the perfect time for people to get screened, get their score - and then share that information privately with their health care provider," according to the Mental Health America website.

Here's how it works. Users fill out a 27-item checklist.

http://www.whatsmym3.com/Screening/Screening.aspx

They can then email results of the screening to a physician, but it's only meant to be a first step toward a real diagnosis.

The site is also encouraging users to let their social networks know: " Everyone has a number. #WhatsYourNumber. It only takes three minutes to find out," they ask on a Tumblr page.

[hunter]

1. I took the quiz twice, once for my last "off my meds" episode, and once for today.

My last "off my meds," score, as I've recreated it from memory, and disregarding the fact that I would have not taken this quiz in my "off my meds" state, was 77. High depression, high anxiety, high PTSD, low bipolar.

Today's quiz, on medicines I hate but take anyways, I score 45, "medium." I'm sure I've been in brighter places but these are difficult to remember when I'm not actually in a brighter place. I can always recall the wretched places, even if I wasn't aware they were wretched places when I was there. I've mentioned it before, but my ability to judge my own mental state is the first thing that flies out the window. I may be in the dark, but I'm not quite aware of it, certainly not enough to take any action. I can't promise I'm not in a shadowed place right now.

I remember taking a test like this at one of my worst times, and it was very, very dark. The therapist gave me the hotline card for the 24 hour emergency mental health clinic (one to my wife too) and set up an evening appointment with her the very next day after her regular hours. I didn't feel that close to the edge, but maybe I was.

[HereSince1628]

2. Online mental health quizzes must, of course, be back-stopped with a therapist

May is mental health awareness month and I believe the intent is to move people toward discussions with their physicians and referrals, as appropriate, to therapy.

As you have already made such contact, you already know the drill.