Depression is a mental health condition which is widely recognised as one of the most common conditions for which people seek and receive care. There are many specific nursing problems which are encompassed by the medical term “depression” and these include physical, cognitive and behavioural patterns. Successful treatments of depression are psychosocial interventions which aim to identify and challenge a depressed persons pessimistic attitudes and beliefs and which promote an individuals’ participation in rewarding activities in an attempt to reduce any negative behaviours. The aim of this essay is to identify specific nursing problems which are encompassed by the term “depression” and relate these to a patient whom the author had met whilst out on clinical placement who had been given a medical diagnosis of depression. It is also the aim of this essay to discuss different psychosocial interventions and how effective these are in assisting a patient in their road to recovery. Depression is a serious mental health illness which affects an individuals’ mind, body and mood. It is a chronic and lifelong health condition (NICE, 2006) thought to be caused by a number of biological factors including neurotransmitter disturbances in the brain and an element of genetic vulnerability; these are often in addition to psychosocial factors such as the occurrence of undesirable life events, limited social network options, poor self esteem and the occurrence of any adverse life events during a persons’ lifetime (Bernstein, 2006). Depression can have an impact on a persons’ ability to do many things including working, engaging with others, participating fully in family life or maintaining relationships, and it can also impact on a person... ... middle of paper ... ...logy: Neuroscientific Bases and Practical Applications” 2nd Edition, New York, Cambridge University Press. Videbeck SL (2004) “Nursing Care Plan: Depression” Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, Third Edition, page 325-326 Whooly MA & Simon GE (2000) “Managing Depression in Medical Outpatients” New England Journal of Medicine, 343 (26) page 1942-1949 Wilkin P & Baker P (2004) “The Craft of Caring” Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, Arnold Press, London page 26-33 Wilkinson P, Kelvin R, Roberts C, Dubika B, Goodyer I (2011) “Clinical & Psychosocial Predictors of Suicide Attempts and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in the Adolescents Depression, Anti-Depressants & Psychotherapy Trial (ADAPT)” The American Journal of Psychiatry 168(5) page 495-501 www.clinical-depression.co.uk first accessed 24/05/2011 www.2KnowMyself.com , first accessed 24/05/2011
Mohr, W. K. (2013). Psychiatric-mental health nursing: Evidence-based concepts, skills, and practices (8th ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Shultz, J.M. & Videbeck, S.L. (2009) Lippincott Manual of Psychiatric Nursing Care Plans. 8th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/ Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Stuart, G. W. (2009). Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing (9th ed. pp 561). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
In this essay the author will be discussing a case study of a patient with a condition of major depression. The author will also discuss what depression is; the assessment that was done on the patient, interventions and medications as well as the effects of the condition on the focused patient in my case study. The author has chosen to use this condition for their case study because they find depression interesting in terms of what and how much impact it had on this patient’s physical, sociological and mental state. Moreover, using this patient’s condition for the case study will enable the author to know the care needs of the patients with this condition in the future. Also studying depression for the case study will also help improve the author’s theoretical and practical knowledge of depression. Names that are used in this case study have been changed in order to meet up with the requirements of Nursing & Midwifery Council code of conduct (NMC, 2008) on privacy and confidentiality. Mrs Smith had been admitted to the community hospital for rehab following a discharge from Hospital; she had recently been diagnosed with a condition of major depression in January 2014. She already was suffering from a condition of anxiety just after she had lost her mother in August 2013.
Depression is an illness within itself that affects the “whole body”. (Staywell,1998) The body, feelings, thoughts, and behavior are all immensely altered when someone is depressed. It is not a sign of personal weakness, or a condition that can be wished or willed away. For some people depression is just temporary, but for others it can last for weeks, months and even years.
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.
Depression is well known for its mental or emotional symptoms. Symptoms for depression include: persistently sad or unhappy mood, loss of interest or pleasure in previously enjoyable activities, difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions, anxiety, feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, and thoughts of death or dying. “People who have endured a major depressive episode describe the experience as a descent into t...
Varcarolis, E. M., & Halter, (2010). Foundations of psychiatric mental health nursing: A clinical approach.
According to the DSM-V, depressive disorders have shared characteristics of sad, empty, or irritable mood, complemented by somatic and cognitive changes that significantly affect the one’s capacity to function. The main elements that vary are among them are issues of duration, timing, or supposed etiology” (DSM-V, p, 155).
Varcarolis, E. M., Carson, V. B., & Shoemaker, N. C. (2006). In Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (p. 283). St. Louis: Elsevier Inc.
Simpson, C. (2007) ‘Mental Health part3: Assessment and Treatment of Depression’ British Journal of Healthcare assistants. pp 167-171.
To start this research paper off, I should start by defining depression. Depression is a very serious medical illness that leaves you with the constant feeling of sadness or a lack of interest in anything. Depression needs to be treated right away because it could eventually lead to harming yourself or even suicide. Depression is common in older adults but it is not a normal part of aging. It may be overlooked for some older adults because sadness is not their main symptom. They may have other, less obvious symptoms of depression or they may not be willing to talk about their feelings. Therefore, doctors may be less likely to recognize that their patient has depression. Depression can happen for a number of reasons such as other medical problems, lo...
Depression – a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest (Mayo Clinic Staff). Individual diagnosed with depression gets affected both physically and mentally: the way they think, feel, and behave, leading to various problems (Marilyn Elias). Depression is not only for adults; depression is becomi...
Depression is a medical, mental disorder that causes a constant feeling of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness. Depression affects how the person feels, behaves, and thinks. It also leads to emotional and physical problems. People with depression find it hard to go about their day-to-day activities. As human beings, many of us have encountered tough times in our lives, which caused us to feel “depressed”. While those feeling are short lived, people with depression will have feelings that are long lived; they will constantly re-embark on past negative situations and their feelings at that time. When people are severely depressed, they become a different person and their whole attitude on life changes dramatically. It’s a common but serious mental disorder that many unfortunately don’t receive help for because of the big stigma around the world. Because of the fact that many don’t get the help that they so desperately need, many turn to suicide or other life-ending, harmful situations.
Varcarolis, E. M., & Halter, M. J. (2010). Foundations of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. St. Louis: Saunders Elsevier.