新奇事件簿 谷歌提供抑郁症自我评估服务

The search engine Google will soon start a service that lets people check their mental health online. People searching for "depression" on Google's search page will get a link to a questionnaire along with their search result. The questionnaire will check to see if you could be suffering from depression. There are nine questions on the self-assessment. Google has partnered with America's National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on the project. A NAMI spokesperson said Google users can take the private questionnaire to help them find out how depressed¹ they are. He said this could help people decide if they need to see a doctor. The questionnaire will initially² only be available for Internet users in the USA.

搜索引擎谷歌很快将开始一项服务，允许人们在线检测精神健康状况。在搜索引擎条输入“抑郁”这个关键词，可以直达问卷调查的链接，还有搜索结果。问卷调查将查看用户是否受到抑郁症的困扰。自我评估共有九个问题。谷歌与美国精神疾病健康联盟(NAMI)合作开发了该项目。NAMI一名发言人表示，谷歌用户可以先做这份私密的调查问卷，帮助他们评估自己的抑郁情况。他说，这样可以帮助人们判断自己是否需要看医生。这份调查问卷最初只服务于美国的互联网用户。

Google's blog said the questionnaire could help people get treatment for depression more quickly. It said: "Statistics show that those who have symptoms of depression experience an average of a six- to eight-year delay in getting treatment after the onset³ of symptoms. We believe that awareness⁴ of depression can help empower and educate you, enabling quicker access to treatment." However, Dr Aaron Balick, an expert on how websites can help people, said Google's questionnaire was the same as reading any online information about depression. He told the BBC: "A better approach would be…offering [people] resources and a direct line - perhaps a chat box - to local psychological services."

谷歌部落表示，这份调查问卷可以帮助人们更快进行抑郁症治疗。“统计数据显示，表现出抑郁症状的人平均会在最初的症状显现后拖延六到八年的时间才接受治疗。我们相信，意识到抑郁症可以提供恰当的教育，让人们更快进行治疗。”然而，研究互联网对网民益处的专家Aaron Balick博士表示，谷歌的问卷调查和人们在互联网上阅读关于抑郁的信息没什么不同。他告诉BBC：“更好的方法是为人们提供资源和直接联系当地心理服务机构的电话或者对话框。”

1 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

2 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

3 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

4 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。