Many health care providers and workplaces will be providing free mental health and depression screenings Thursday in celebration of National Depression Awareness Day.

It's a time to reflect and get help or advice in coping with a significant life challenge for many people, mental health providers say. This event is a key part of Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs through Saturday.

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The day, which has the theme "No Cause for Despair", features some employers and health organizations hosting depression screenings to help people identify potential trouble spots. People fill out anonymous surveys which help pinpoint if they might be depressed or need professional attention.

Clinical depression affects an estimated 25 million Americans who say they suffer a significant depressive event at least once a year, according to the National Mental Health Institute. Nearly 80 percent of those people say their ability to function is impaired by depression while more than one-quarter of those reported serious work and home problems.

A study of the economic burden of depression in the U.S. published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found depressed employees missed an average of almost five workdays every three months while their productivity suffered at least 12 days within the same period.

According to mental health professionals, one cause for actual despair is the fact that almost 70 percent of people with symptoms of depression don't get treatment. Many believe they would have to miss work for treatment or are concerned about the social stigma attached to getting help for depression.

On the contrary, more than 80 percent of those treated for depression showed significant improvement. Treatment can consist of all sorts of combinations of therapy, medication, and behavioral changes.

Congress established the Mental Illness Awareness Week in 1990. Since then, the event has been held every first week of October.

The week is intended to increase public awareness of mental health issues and get people into screenings and help them pursue treatment.

The National Alliance on Mental illness sponsors the week as a way to inform and reach out on a variety of mental health issues.

TagsNational Depression Awareness Day, mental health, depression, medicine, mental health awareness week