October 10, 2008 is National Depression Screening Day. Screening sites all over the US will be offering free depression screenings. International screening sites are also available. If you are concerned that you may be depressed, take a moment to look up the site nearest you and get your free screening. You can also take a free online symptoms screening on this site.

• Depression Symptoms Screening Test

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Are worries about America's financial crisis making you depressed? University of Alabama at Birmingham Associate Professor Josh Klapow says the key to reducing your stress is to distinguish between "productive worry" and "unproductive worry."

Productive worry, says Klapow, is thinking about situations you can control and should be used to spur you to take action to reduce your stress. Unproductive worry is thinking about those things that you can't control.

On his blog, Klapow offers four tips for getting a handle on your worrying:

1. Take action. Doing something to improve your financial situation - like creating a budget or buying a more fuel-efficient car - can help reduce your stress.
2. Take a step back. Stay informed, but avoid saturating yourself with bad news.
3. Stay connected. Don't let your daily life and connections with family and friends go by the wayside.
4. Pay attention to yourself. Throughout the day, engage in stress-relieving activities like meditation and relaxation exercises.

You can read Klapow's blog at http://blogs.uab.edu/drjoshk/.

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