Introduction and Description The Beck Depression Inventory is a self-report inventory that attempts to understand the severity of depression in adults and or adolescents. The original Beck Depression Inventory was created in 1961 by Aaron Beck and his associates and was revised in 1971. In 1971, the Beck Depression Inventory was introduced at the Center for Cognitive Therapy, CCT, at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Much of the research on the Beck Depression Inventory has been done at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. In the current version, of the Beck Depression Inventory, the subject rates 21 symptoms and attitudes on a 4 point scale depending on severity. Test takers rate the items listed in the inventory according to a one week timeframe, which includes the day the test takers took the test. The items that that the inventory measures covers cognitive, somatic, affective and vegetative dimensions of depression and although it was developed atheoretically, the items correspond with depression symptoms as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) (DSM-IV, American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The Beck Depression Inventory is widely known and is well known by psychiatric populations and clinicians. The BDI can be administered in a group or individual format by oral or written form. The 1993 version targets more trait aspects of depression versus the previous and earlier versions measured state aspects of depression. The test is to be administered with no more than 15 minutes to take the test, regardless of the mode administered. The 21 symptoms that are rated on the 4 point scale are then totaled and the range can vary from 0 to 63. Patients that score... ... middle of paper ... ...y by both assessing the subjects physical and mental state as well as by observing their hygiene, attitudes, and other attributes associated with the homeless (Rubin and Babbie, 2013). Works Cited Beck, A. & Steer, R. (1993). Beck Depression Inventory [1993 Revised]. Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.usc.edu/ehost/detail?sid=b747911e-643c-4692-87b0-b9eb0a460505%40sessionmgr13&vid=1&hid=10&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=loh&AN=13%3A31 Beck, A., Steer, R., & Carbin, Margery. (1988). Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory: Twenty-five years of evaluation. Clinical psychology review 8(1), 77-100. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.usc.edu/science/article/pii/0272735888900505 Rubin, A., & Babbie, R. (2013). Essential research methods for social work (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning.
For several years, researchers group together to find the right direction in analyzing how homeless people can acquire a better framework in a direction of regaining their dignity and integrity. Researchers were able to create an assessment tools that eventually produce a meaningful result. This paper will discuss the different tools that can assess the homeless people in developing the necessary guide to overcome their present difficulties, mentally and physically.
Homelessness is one of the biggest issues society (Unites States) faces today. Homelessness is caused by lack of affordable housing, economic situations and decline in federal funding for low income families and the mentally ill. A homeless person is defined as an individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family) including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private (shelters) facility that provides temporary living accommodations and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing. This definition of housing is used by the U.S Department of Healt...
Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., & Brown, G. (1996). Beck Depression Inventory-II. Retrieved August 18, 2011from EBSCOhost.
Zung, W. W. K., (1965). A self-rating depression scale. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry. 12:63-70.[Duke Univ. Med. Ctr., Dept. Psychiatry, Durham, NC]
Gattis and Larson suggest, “interested parties could benefit from an improved understanding of the mental health needs of homeless adolescents. This knowledge could be used to identify youths at risk of becoming homeless and to provide appropriate services to those currently homeless” (p. 87). In short, education and knowledge regarding the homelessness in itself can do wonders. The homeless face many hardships including depression, anxiety, PTSD, discrimination, and suicidal thoughts. These are just a few things that homeless people face that the general population don’t take into consideration on a first glance or thought. Intervention and world of mouth will also help, because this is a topic society doesn’t necessary publicize, we don’t know much about it. If this is publicized in a positive way, the motivation and self-esteem from homeless people will also rise. The increase of access to insurance would also help prevent this. In order to get treated for any mental illness they have, they need insurance. With active treatment for a mental illness, this will heighten the likelihood of obtaining a reliable job. Which in turn, will essentially help prevent the homeless from being
Homeless situations are a concern because there are a number of homeless children in the United States and continues to rise (McDaniel, 2012). Homeless people struggle to survive because they live in housing that is not livable or does not have a home and therefore, they live in cardboard boxes, in the alley, or wherever they can find shelter. In reality, this affects the ability for a
Looking at the environmental components in relation to the homeless and their mental health, this author found socioeconomic adversity, lack of health insurance and health care, lack of food, clothing, and shelter as the predominant variables. Zlotnick, Zerger, and Wolfe stated that “Limits on shelter stays during the daytime and competing needs to seek food and employment also in...
Clinical Depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for weeks or longer. Clinical depression results from interactions between brain chemicals and hormones that influence a person's energy level, feelings, sleeping and eating habits, these chemical interactions are linked to many causes such as, a person's family history of illness, biochemical and psychological make-up, prolonged stress, and traumatic life crisis such as death of a loved one, job loss, or divorce (Clinical Depression).
Toro, Dr. Paul.. Wayne State University Research Group on Homelessness and Poverty. 2002. Retrieved December 3, 2007 from http:// cotsdetroit.org/cots/aboutus.stats.wml?section=aboutus
Despite the variety of health care options offed to the public, a majority of homeless people find that their medical needs are going unmet. There is a large collection of services that are categorized as health care. These include things as basic as having a regular primary care giver to things as specific as dental needs or having the opportunity to seek help from a specialist if necessary. Whether or not medical needs are being met is qualified by how a “need” is defined. In a study of the homeless population in the New England region, participants were asked “Have you needed to see a doctor or a nurse in the past 12 months but were not able?” (Hwang, Stephen, Ueng, Joanna, Chiu, Shirley & Tolomiczenko, George, 2010, p.1455). If participants answered yes,...
...ilent approach. For homeless individuals it is important in keeping an existence and not be viewed as an outcast by others.
“Homeless is more than being without a home. It is tied into education needs, food, security; health issues both mental and physical, employment issues, etc. Don’t forget the whole picture.” (“Boxed In” 2005 pg. 108)
This disadvantage is based on a reduced access to goods, services and accommodations which all contribute to increased rates of poor health. Furthermore, those who are homeless have limited opportunities to protect their well-being. Authors Johnstone, Jetten, Dingle, Parsell, and Walter (2015) claim, as being homelessness is often viewed as to some extent controllable due to reasons such as unemployment, drug addiction or mental illness, those individuals are perceived as responsible for their lack of adequate housing and therefore not worthy of assistance or as a matter of fact not fully human. The homeless, as a group, are seen as incompetent and “the lowest of the low” which elicits the disgust and contempt as well as a prejudice that can make people associate the homeless as subhuman. Noted by author Fischer (1992), data indicates that crimes perpetrated on homeless victims including offenses against property and against the person between seven and forty times more often than the general population. Also, one fifth of homeless adults surveyed in New York had been raped and one of every thirteen shelter users in St. Louis reported sexual
Clinical depression is very common. Over nine million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression at some point in their lives. Many more people suffer from clinical depression because they do not seek treatment. They may feel that depression is a personal weakness, or try to cope with their symptoms alone. On the other hand, some people are comfortable with admitting their symptoms and seeking help. Such a discrepancy may account for the differences in reported cases of depression between men and women, which indicate that more than twice the numbers of women than men are clinically depressed. According to the numbers of reported cases of depression, 25% of women and 10% of men will have one or more episodes of clinical depression during their lifetimes.
Walking down the streets of large cities it is common to see men, women, and sometimes even whole families laying beside buildings. Some people may ignore them and keep walking, some feel frightened, and some see the homeless as a human being and treat them like one. These people tend to be dirty, smelly, or they have a sad look that has overtaken their faces because of their struggle to survive. The people sleeping outside of buildings are homeless. Being homeless means not having anywhere to call home, although it also can mean living in a place that was never intended to house humans, such as a bus stop or a highway underpass. It is tempting to wedge the homeless together under a single label but there are an abundance of contrasting causes