New 3-Minute Screen for Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, PTSD Provides ONE Number to Show Mental Health Risk

Developed by M3 Information, It's the Biggest Advancement in Mental Health Screening in 20 Years

(Bethesda, MD, May 16, 2102) – Getting the answer to a simple question — “Whats My M3” — gives you a number to help you and your primary care physician better understand and manage your overall health. WhatsMyM3 is a breakthrough, multi-diagnostic mental health screen designed to detect early signs of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). WhatsMyM3 was developed by a team of highly regarded and recognized mental health experts and clinicians who are focused on improving healthcare and reducing healthcare costs through the early detection of mental health issues.

“Mental health is a critical component of your body’s overall physical health,” explains Larry Culpepper, MD, Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and a founding member of the M3 Collaborative.

“You know your other important health numbers — cholesterol level, heart rate and blood pressure,” Culpepper notes. “Now for the first time, we finally have a number that gauges mental health. By knowing your M3 score and then getting the right treatment, we have more success managing all our numbers, because mental health affects everything.”

This groundbreaking three-minute screen can be taken anonymously online (whatsmym3.com) or through a mobile device App (available on iTunes and Android stores). The M3Collaborative’s WhatsMyM3 App is the number one mental health App in the iTunes store — and it’s now available for the first time as an Android App.

Why Knowing Your M3 is Vital

According to The Bridge study, one in five people diagnosed with Major Depression may actually have Bipolar Disorder.   Other Studies suggest 55% of Americans will suffer from a mental disorder during their lifetimes, and only about 50% of people with mental illness will get treatment each year. Of that, only 38% will receive the proper care. Misdiagnosis and the associated mistreatment can impede proper care and contribute to increased illness that may even result in suicide, a problem particularly prevalent among active and retired military personnel. WhatsMyM3 will provide more people with proper care and better results, earlier.

“Mental illnesses can be managed successfully, and people do recover,” says Pamela S. Hyde, head of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Mental illness is not an isolated public health problem. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity often are made worse by coexisting mental illness and consequently their effective treatment can reduce the pain and suffering associated with these physical ailments.”

WhatsMyM3 Highlights

• WhatsMyM3 is the first multi-diagnostic screen that accurately rates a person’s risk of four major mental health conditions: depression, anxiety, bipolar, and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD).
• WhatsMyM3 is a three-minute questionnaire that is easy to complete.
• WhatsMyM3 is the only screen that introduces a numerical system to rate one’s overall risk of mood and anxiety disorders.
• The results are reported immediately. A primary score of 33 or greater indicates a significant risk of a mood or anxiety disorder. Also reported are four sub-scores, reflecting the individual’s risk for each of the four major conditions, so one can get targeted professional care.
• WhatsMyM3 primary and sub-scores can be shared with a person’s doctor or mental health professional who can provide proper treatment and track progress.
• WhatsMyM3 also screens for suicide risk and substance abuse, offering immediate telephone hotline access with immediate instructional support.

M3 Empowers Physicians

As many as 70% of primary care visits are triggered by underlying mental health issues. Today, more individuals seek mental health treatment in primary care settings than in specialty mental health clinics.

• WhatsMyM3 enables general practitioners to efficiently and effectively focus on earlier detection, better treatment and overall improved healthcare for their patients.
• WhatsMyM3 allows general practitioners to quickly and accurately identify those patients most in need of referral to a mental health specialist.
• WhatsMyM3 is also designed to be integrated in the doctors’ offices via the M3Clinician.com, a cloud-based portal which interfaces with many electronic medical records applications and is reimbursable through third party payers.

Economic Benefits

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the annual economic impact of untreated mood disorders is more than $70 billion. Other recent studies have shown that early and accurate detection of mental health issues through the integration of behavioral health care with primary care will have a positive affect in reducing healthcare costs. Earlier detection and improved health enable patients to be more engaged and proactive in managing their health, lowering their out of pocket costs for healthcare.

Health Management Tool

Asking “Whats My M3” is perfect for people:

• Who are taking medication but feel they’re not progressing or have been diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression
• Whose mood or anxiety symptoms may be worsening their physical health and diminishing their quality of life
• Who are military veterans - or family members who want to understand and help with difficult post-deployment assimilation
• Who want to improve work performance and lower their health costs

A new primer book, WhatsMyM3, is also now available at Amazon.com. It provides a useful survey of mental health, including some state-of-the-art information, and points out the benefits of monitoring one’s mood and anxiety. In addition, it spells out instructions for how a person can make use of Microsoft’s HealthVault to follow progress.

Research-based

The M3 Checklist was validated in a study performed at the University of North Carolina and published in the March 2010 issue of the Annals of Family Medicine. The study was based on the responses of 647 patients at the University of North Carolina Family Practice Medicine Clinic. Since the publication of the study in March 2010, the Beta version M3 Checklist has been taken by people in all 50 states and in more than 120 countries.

M3’s evidence-based checklist was developed by a team of highly regarded mental health experts and clinicians for their subject matter expertise and their groundbreaking work in mood disorders and academic medicine.

The M3 Score provides a single rating of general mental health

Based on their M3 responses each person is also assigned a single number, the M3 Score, which represents the likelihood that the symptoms disclosed reflect a clinically significant disorder. A University of North Carolina study of the M3 has shown that among patients with no diagnosis, 83% receive an M3 Score below 33, whereas 81% of those with confirmed diagnoses fall above this threshold. The higher the M3 Score the more likely the patient's responses are clinically significant and the symptoms reported are having a real impact on quality of life. Therefore, the M3 Score could be viewed as a general mental wellness grade, with lower scores indicative of good mental health. For those receiving treatment it provides a target for treatment success.

About M3 Information

The M3 Collaborative focuses on solutions to improve the recognition and outcomes for mental health in primary care. Focusing solely on evidence-based directives, the screens abilities introduce improved options for Accountable Care Organizations, Medical Homes and Hospital Settings. The M3Clinician portal enables all clinicians to have a solution to screen and longitudinally follow patients including symptoms and side effects. The screen is reimbursable as a health risk assessment.

Members of the M3 Collaborative include:

• Robert M. Post, MD, head of the Bipolar Collaborative Network. In addition Bob was chief of the Biological Psychiatry Branch for most of his 37 years at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
• Bernard M. Snyder, MD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University and a cognitive behavioral therapist
• Larry Culpepper, MD, Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at Boston University
• Gerald I. Hurowitz, MD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and a clinical psychopharmacologist
• Steven R. Daviss, MD, chair of Psychiatry at Baltimore Washington Medical Center, clinical assistant professor at University of Maryland and Chair of the American Psychiatric Association workgroup on Electronic Medical Records
• Michael L. Byer, information management specialist and President of M3 Information

Media Inquiries
For questions and media interviews, please contact:
Marc Silverstein
Email: marc@onthemarcmedia.com
Mobile: 202-716-9123
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