Physical Therapy and Depression: A Pilot Study on Screening for Depressive Symptoms

The current paper presents a pilot study of mental health screening in a physical therapy clinic. It aimed to determine the feasibility of integrating simple, scientifically-sound methods of capturing symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, sleep patterns, and physical pain. A total of 10 patients recruited from University of Mississippi Physical Therapy Clinic participated in the study. Participants were given the DASS-21 with additional questions on pain ratings, hours ofsleep, and reason for physical therapy. The measure was administered twice with a three-week interval of time in between. Data were analyzed by conducting individual ttests for change in the variables of interest over the course oftherapy. Significant changes were only noted in the category of stress, although limitations in interpreting this finding were notable due to a lack of reliability in the measure ofstress and diminished power due to small sample size. Graphical analyses of patterns of symptoms change, however, indicated positive change in almost all constructs measured over time. The study demonstrated that it may be possible to implement depression screening in a physical therapy clinic. Conclusions, limitations, future directions, and the implications ofthis project on my career path are discussed