The story didn’t describe the costs of depression screening nor did it mention reimbursement issues as a barrier to providing the screening. The story does not attempt to quantify the benefits of depression screening. The story does not mention any possible downsides of depression screening. While there are few risks, some of the harms could include: missing cases of mild depression, stigma, mislabeling situational stress as an illness, not to mention barriers and difficulties involved in getting the appropriate follow-up care once diagnosed. The story does mention that there is no direct evidence that screening for depression can improve outcomes. The story could have done more to describe the indirect evidence that support its use in heart patients. The story does not exaggerate the seriousness or prevalence of depression. The story rightly points out that depression is more prevalent in people with heart disease. The story quotes multiple experts. The story mentions antidepressants, psychotherapy and excercise as possible treatments for depression. Clearly depression screening is available but not as widely used as it should be in the context of heart disease patients. Clearly depression screening is not new but it is increasingly being advocated in the context of heart patients. Because the story quotes multiple experts, the reader can assume the story did not rely on a press release as the sole source of information.
Screen heart patients for depression, AHA urges