This chapter provides a detailed review of the relevant literature that supports this study. This section is divided into the following sections. The first section examines generalizations concerning depression; The second section examines the increase of depression by 2030; The third section -Prevalence in other countries; The fourth section- Various theories; The fifth section- Etiology; The sixth section-Past explanations for depression; The seventh section-Themes; The eighth section- Types of depression; The ninth section- Gender differences; The tenth section- Culture; The eleventh section- Depression and ethnicity; The twelfth section- Under-recognition of depression; The thirteenth section- Depression in the nursing home; The fourteenth section- Depression in residential homes; The fifteenth section-Depression recognition and home care nurses; The sixteenth section- Low recognition of depression; The seventeenth section- Inappropriate Treatment; The eighteenth section- Depression in elderly under-diagnosed; The nineteenth section- Staff's lack of recognition; The twentieth section- A study; The twenty first section- Nurses recognition of depression; The twenty second section- Nursing home disparities; The twenty third section- Mental Health needs of African Americans; The twenty fourth section- Under-recognition of depression in African Americans; The twenty fifth section- Under-recognition may be acute; The twenty six section- Misdiagnosis and African-Americans, thus, the twenty seventh section- Recognition of depression in African-American residents in long-term care facilities.
Depression is an illness that may affect people from all walks of life from early ages to older; however, it can also be treated and elimi...
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...ed States, and that depressive disorders are increasing by an alarming rate. As this research will show that depression in the United States is more prevalent specifically in long-term health care facilities than in the normal population. .
According to Blazer's review, 12-14% of residents in nursing homes suffer from major depression, and 17-35% of those in long-term care facilities suffer from minor depression or clinically significant symptoms of depression. However, Australia has reported prevalence rates of depression higher than these figures. (Mellor, Davison, & McCabe, 2008). This study is important because it confirms that there is a prevalence of depression in the nursing homes. Davison et al. (2007) found that consistent with research in nursing homes, 16.9% of older people in low-level care facilities met the criteria for major depressive disorder.
Across the world, there are thousands upon millions of people who suffer from depression. Upon the numerous sufferers,
Major Depressive Disorder or MDD is a very common clinical condition that affects millions of people every year. According to the Agency for Health Care Policy & Research, “ depression is under diagnosed & untreated by most medical doctors, despite the fact that it can almost always be treated successfully.
Clinical depression, which affects about 10% of the adult population (Holtz, Stokes, 1138), is charact...
It is estimated that 11-78% of residents in nursing homes are suffering from depression, especially those with dementia (Volicer, Frijters, Van der Steen, 2011). Elderly depression can have many causes, however it is widely believed a decline in physical health, and reduced contact with family and friends are two of the most prominent reasons (Llewellyn-Jones, 2007). With limited to no family contact, elderly like the rest of us feel lonely, forgotten and unimportant. On the contrary, a study conducted by researchers Holahan and Moos found with family support, depression in elderly people decreased over a one year time span (Greenglass, Fiskenbaum, Eaton, 2006). Therefore, if more elderly residents of nursing and retirement homes are visited by their family members, their mental and physical well being will likely increase. I have witnessed at the retirement home I work at, some of the residents consistently have family visit them while others I have ever seen them have a visitor. The ones who are visited, often tend to be noticeably happier and healthier, while the ones who usually remain alone tend to be more unhappy and physically unwell. For instance, I worked last Christmas and I was surprised by the amount of residents who remained in the facility on Christmas day. Although the majority of the residents went home, there still were about 25-30 out of approximately 100 residents who remained on Christmas Day. The fact that these residents had no family to spend the holiday with, or were not invited by their family members was heartbreaking, especially since holidays like Christmas are heavily focused on family relationships. Exclusion and isolation, similar to what the remaining residents experienced on Christmas day, can be interpreted by the elderly as a loss of their family 's respect and may feel as though they are a
Hardy, Sheila. "Prevention And Management Of Depression In Primary Care." Nursing Standard 27.26 (2013): 51-56. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2013) Report revealed that the World Health Organization describes the inequities and disparities within a community as social determinants. These social determinants include age, sex, birth place, where one lives, works, plays, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and has a healthcare system. McKibbin and Deacon (2011) revealed it is estimated that 20% of older adults suffer from a mental health disorder. Patients with a chronic illness such as coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, geriatric depression, chronic pain issues, cancer, and diabetes account for trillions of dollars spent on medical care in the United States. As the population ages the costs will expand, the shortage of physicians and nurses will continue to decrease and the scope of this problem will increase thus the need for new innovative ideas and plans to care for the geriatric population including those in the rural regions. One potential solution for geriatric depression ...
The older adult population consists of people 65 and older (Miller, & Stoeckel, 2011). Depression is greater in women than men, however, the cause is unknown (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2010). Both, males and females who have been previously depressed or have a biological relative with depression, have an increased risk of depression (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2010). Seniors in long-term care facilities have a higher rate of being diagnosed with depression (14-42%) than those who continue to live within the community (1%-5%), therefore, levels of diagnosed depression fluctuate depending on location of residence (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2010). A recent Canadian study shows 44% of older adults living in residential care have been diagnosed with depression or have symptoms of depression (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2010). Depression can cause higher mortality rates, even when supplementary risk factors are considered, however, the reasons are not entirely understood (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2010). Studies have shown that older adults with depression are one and a half to two times more likely to pass on than those without depression (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2010).
Also discussed in this concept are the theories of depression. Learning Theory states that patients experience depression as a result of a loss of control over one’s life. This could be a factor for C.R. in that he did not have control over his wife’s passing and his subsequent move to the nursing home. Another theory is Cognitive Theory, which states that those who are depressed focus on the negative aspects of life instead of the positive. C.R. has demonstrated that he sees the negative in situations instead of the positive. C.R. said, “I have nothing left to live for anymore so I don’t know why you bother” while performing nursing care. The text states regarding depression, “All present experiences are viewed as negative, and there is no hope for the future.” (Pearson 2011) The text also states that symptoms
If the older patient’s complaints during a routine office visit are being ignored because of their chronological age, successful aging and quality of life will certainly be impacted by lack the of treatment for potential mental conditions. The fact that this ignorance can directly lead to suicide among this particular cohort more than any other group is frightening. Considering that social isolation is a primary reason for the onset of depression among older adults, the importance of physician and other health care provider identification of depression through screening and preventive measures are imperative. According to Blakemore (2009), 40 percent of older people who visit their general physician, half of older adult inpatients in general hospitals and 60 percent of long-term care residents have mental health problems and are often denied access to the same mental health services as younger adults including psychological therapist and drug interventions (p. 6). These numbers are astounding among a group of individuals whose physical health could be directly impacted by improved mental health care. Again, the ageism that influences screening and prevention among older adults is directly impacting the quality of life and chance at active aging among the older population.
Depression is a psychological disease. It is one of the most common mental illnesses (Blais, et al., 2013). Depression was known since antiquity. Hippocrates diagnosed it in fourth century BC (McNamara and Horan, 1986). After World War II, depression was described as “aggression turned inward” (McNamara & Horan, 1986). Now there is Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, which is designed to evaluate how severe is depression (Gibbons et al., 2012).
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 an equal opportunity disorder, it can affect any group of people with any background, race, gender, or age. Depression is a sneak thief that slips quietly and gradually into people’s lives - robbing them of their time, and their focus. At first, depression may be undetectable, but in the long run a person could become so weighed down that their life may feel empty and meaningless. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who commits suicide is depressed, but majority of people who commits suicide do so during a severe depressive episode. There are over 300 million people in the world today who suffer from depression. Depression has affected people for a long as records have been kept. It was first called out by the famous Greek philosopher Hippocrates over 2,400 years ago. Hippocrates called it “melancholia”. Many times we think of depression as one disorder alone, when in fact there are many different types of depression. The different types of depression are major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, atypical disorder, adjustment disorder, and depressive personality disorder. All types of depression share at least one common symptom. It is commons from the person who suffers from any form of depression to feel an unshakable sadness, anxious, or empty mood. Major depressive disorder also known as unipolar depression or recurrent depressive disorder is the most severe depressive disorder out of all of the depressive in my estimation. Major depressive disorder is a condition in which affects a person’s family, work or school life, sleeping, eating and general health. It is important to emphasize that we can understand the mechanics of this disorder and how it affects people with major depressive disorder.
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.
The elderly represents a large amount of the population in our society and continues to grow each day. As the population grows, it is important to meet the demands and resolve the challenges that we encounter in regards to the overall quality of health and well-being of the elderly. Mental health of the elderly is a major issue but majority of the time goes unnoticed and untreated by caregivers and loved ones. About 20 percent of adults 55 and older are suffering from some type of mental health disorder, and one in three elderly adults do not receive any type of treatment (The State of Mental Health, 2008). Those suffering from mental illness are hesitant to seek out help or any type of treatment because of the stigma, services and cost for care that then comes with mental health disorders. Mental health issues that affect elderly include dementia, delirium, and psychosis. Some of the most common conditions include anxiety, mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder and cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease. Mental health is essential to the
Depression is a serious and common problem that affects people of all social class and racial group throughout the world. They are good and affordable treatment for depression. Most people who have depression do not receive adequate treatment. We must do more and do better to take care of ourselves. It is not easy for any of us to tackle a problem of this magnitude, but by being responsible and taking care of our own health and mental well-being needs, we can also reach out to help others who are dealing with depression or other mental issues by sharing with them information’s and pointing them in the right direction to find the help they need.