Google will soon let people check their mental health online. People searching for "depression" will get a link to a questionnaire with nine questions. This will check to see if you could have depression. Google has partnered with America's National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on the project. NAMI said the questionnaire can help people decide if they need a doctor. At first, the questionnaire is only for people in the USA.
The questionnaire could help people get treatment more quickly. Google said: "Statistics show that those who have symptoms of depression experience…a six- to eight-year delay in getting treatment….We believe that awareness of depression can [enable] quicker access to treatment." However, a doctor said Google's questionnaire was the same as online information. He said it would be better to offer a chat box to psychological services.