Recognition Tools

To aid with the identification of depression, Aetna Depression Management includes a series of screening tools to help primary care physicians recognize red flags and/or suicidal risk.

The Two-Question Screen
During the patient interview, two questions have been shown to be effective for identifying patients who may be depressed.

 Suicide Screening
Suicide risk needs to be assessed in any patient whom you have diagnosed with depression. Aetna Depression Management includes some scripted questions for this purpose. These questions, which are based on the Three Component Model, 3CM^TM, are one of the many resources you may with to draw upon in your professional practice.

These guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive, nor are they intended to be prescriptive or replace your own independent medical judgment.