Suicide and depression
Many people, especially young people today believes that they are going through many series of depression although they can not really identify what depression is. A lot of people say that depression is a temporary feeling of sadness. So many people these days say, "I'm depressed", easily during a conversation when they feel sad. Feeling sad is normal for everyone since people can go through events in life that dissatisfies them. However, feeling blue does not mean you are actually suffering from depression. These days, many people who aren't aware of depressions result, pay less attention to it. However, depression is actually a disease just like cancer. Many people believe disease is a condition that occurred from virus, germs or by being a host for parasites. However, the real definition for disease in current days dictionary is "a condition of the living animal or plant body or of one of its parts that impairs normal functioning: sickness, malady - "Webster Online'. Depression is a disease that affects in both physical ways and mental ways. In physical terms, a person can suffer insomnia, oversleeping, fatigue and many others symptoms, and in mental ways, the person can feel guilt, constant sadness, many mistakes, slowed mind, and depending on how the patient reacts to these symptoms, it can also affect social part of health. Even though depression is a dangerous, many
Explain key characteristics and concepts of Humanistic Therapy, Psychodynamic therapy & Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy
Lisa Chinnery Unit 2 1.1 Explain key characteristics and concepts of Humanistic Therapy, Psychodynamic therapy & Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy Humanistic Therapy The foundations of the humanistic approach provide the client with a deeper understanding of who they are, what they feel and the opportunity to explore the possibility of creating personal choices. It encourages self-awareness and self-realisation. Humanistic therapy is used for anxiety, low self-esteem, bereavement, depression, stress management, loss or relationship issues. The key characteristics are; Congruence – Genuineness, the counsellor shows honesty and openness toward the client, not putting on a front, they are equals. Empathy – Accepting the client for who they are, not judging them them whatever they say or do will allow the client to open up. Unconditional Positive Regard – Putting ourselves in the clients shoes, if the client feels, we are right there with them and know how they are feeling it will help them along the way, knowing that they are not alone with how they are feeling and where they are in their mind. Environment – A safe environment is needed for the client to open up and carry on along their journey, they should be seen in a secure, private, comfortable space that allows them the freedom to open up without the worry of outside influences. Also, that their sessions are
Biology Reseach Project - Is Hormone Replacement Therapy safe?
Is hormone replacement therapy good for you? Menopause affects most women, with its peak occurring during the 50-60's. This is the time that the menstrual cycle ceases and symptoms indicating hormonal imbalance start to occur; including hot flushes, fainting etc. To combat these symptoms many women are entitled to turn to the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT is the use of synthetic hormones which is aimed to correct any hormonal imbalance which women may experience and reduce any persistent symptoms. However with its risks HRT also has some potential hazards on women. There is the issue to whether HRT provides more risks than benefits. It is known that HRT has a good effect on women's health in terms of enabling them to continue healthy lives after menopause; HRT is also known to cut down osteoporosis. However there are a wide range of hazards that it imposes especially with prolonged use, such as being the greatest contributing risk factor for the development of many breast cancers. HRT has also been identified as a risk factor for cardiac events and heart attacks; this is already showing that the potential hazards already weigh up to more than the benefits. Figure 1 There are many studies which indicate that HRT has a hazardous effect on women. These studies range between different areas of medicine. In the 1990's a large study was done by
Describe and evaluate two treatments for unipolar depression.
DESCRIBE AND EVALUATE TWO TREATMENTS FOR UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION Depression, often referred to as the 'common cold of mental illness', is diagnosed through clinical observations of characteristic symptoms present in the individual. Although a mental illness, it is normal behaviour up to a certain point, at which it could then be categorised as abnormal. Depression is put into two categories, unipolar which is mainly having a constant low mood, and bipolar having both low and high moods (or mania) which is more common in the diagnosis of a manic depressive. This essay addresses the causes of depression and how its diagnosis and will then go on to describe the treatments of cognitive-behavioural therapy and anti-depressant drugs for unipolar depression. Upon outlining both perspectives, it will then evaluate the research and evidence of these effective treatments. Unipolar depression is usually diagnosed by the assessment of the individuals' experiences of five symptoms within the criterion and their duration, according to the DSM-1V criteria. These symptoms could be for example; persistent sadness, sleep problems, feeling worthless and guilty, confusion and poor concentration and thoughts or attempts of suicide. For a diagnosis of unipolar depression, the duration of these symptoms must have been present for more than two weeks and one symptom would usually consist of a
A Case for Electro-Convulsive Therapy: The Never Ending Contraversy
[Name of the writer] [Name of the instructor] [Subject] [Date] A Case for Electro-Convulsive Therapy: The Never Ending Contraversy Electroconvulsive therapy is the treatment of choice for severe depressive episodes. Although little definitive research exists to explain its effectiveness, since its development in 1938 it has proven effective for the treatment of depression with psychotic features and suicidal ideation. The procedure is explained and implications for the mental health counselor are discussed. Changes in professional understanding of mental illness have led to the increasing use of somatic, or biological, therapy as part of the successful treatment of some of the more common disorders. Somatic therapies are physical in nature, and the most commonly used of these are medication and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Many psychiatrists returned to the biological model in the 1980s and use both medication and ECT to treat the more severe or serious illnesses: (a) depression, (b) mania, (c) schizophrenia, (d) severe anxiety disorders, and (e) dementia. These disorders are common, handicapping, and often resistant to treatments other than ECT (Rey & Walter, 1997). In addition, they are the most likely disorders to have biological causes, and somatic therapies are seen as correcting an underlying biological imbalance. Electroconvulsive therapy is widely used
Outline and evaluate biological treatments of depression (15 marks)
Outline and evaluate biological treatments of depression (15 marks) I am going to discuss the use of antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy and their use in the treatment of depression. Both are broadly used in the UK and elsewhere in the world and are often used in psychiatric hospitals without the consent of the patient. The biological explanation is that depression is caused by insufficient levels of serotonin and noradrenaline. Antidepressant drugs are used for the treatment of moderate to sever depression and are usually taken for at least four months, usually longer. The two main types are tricylics and Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). Tricylic drugs prolong the mood-lifting effects of noradrenaline and serotonin by preventing the re-absorption after they are released. It also means that the remittance of the neurotransmitters is easier and faster the next time. Similarly, SSRIs such as fluoxetine (Prozac) block the re-absorption of serotonin but not noradrenaline, prolonging the feeling of excitement and lowering depression. In 2008, Kirsch found that in moderately depressed patients, there was improvement in their conditions when using placebos as well as when using the real SSRI. (S)he also found that in severely depressed patients there was significant advantages to using the real drug when compared with the control placebo
Are psychological therapies equally effective in treating mood disorders than drug treatment?
Are psychological therapies equally effective in treating mood disorders than drug treatment? Mood disorders, or affective disorders as they are also known, are characterized by the DSM-IV (as cited in Brown et al 1998) as a pathological change in a person's mood or emotional state which is inappropriate for that persons circumstances which has no organic cause. There are four main categories of mood disorders which are divided into the following groups; depressive episodes, manic episodes, mixed episodes and hypomanic episodes (American psychological association 2000). One of the most common mood disorders is depression, and as a first choice, initial treatment is usually medication, mainly because drugs are cheaper to administer than psychotherapy (Beck et al 1979). Although, pharmaceuticals are usually prescribed as a first call of duty, previous research suggests that many people do not respond to them. According to Beck (1979) only 65% of people appear to show improvements in mood when taking medications therefore the remaining 35% of sufferers need to be provided with an alternative treatment such as cognitive behavior therapy. The purpose of this essay is to evaluate the methods used to treat mood disorders and to conclude whether drug treatments or psychological therapies provide more benefits to patients or if they are of equal value. Drug treatments for mood
Would cognitive behavioural therapy in conjunction with routine diabetic treatment be more efficient in managing depression in patients with Type 2 diabetes than routine treatment alone?
Would cognitive behavioural therapy in conjunction with routine diabetic treatment be more efficient in managing depression in patients with Type 2 diabetes than routine treatment alone? Introduction The essay presented below is aimed at finding evidence-based answer to my question: "Would cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in conjunction with routine diabetic treatment be more efficient in managing depression in patients with Type 2 diabetes than routine treatment alone?" It also involves the critical appraisal of a study which has tried to answer the above question, followed by the systematic review of 5 articles closely related to the topic. The aim of this essay is to investigate whether psychological interventions in diabetic patients with depression are effective in improving clinical outcomes. When looking into the medical treatment given to diabetic patients nationwide in the UK, I came across several non-pharmacological therapies that could improve the patients' adherence and control over their condition. The efficacy and the cost effectiveness of such therapies combined with usual treatment appeared to be an interesting topic to investigate. I have narrowed down the available therapies and specified my systematic literature search on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, as its use in the management of depression in diabetes has recently become more popular in the UK and
Depression in adolescents & Pharmacotherapy: An evaluation of the risk-benefit trade-off.
Depression in adolescents & Pharmacotherapy: An evaluation of the risk-benefit trade-off. ABSTRACT This term paper focuses on the incidence of clinical depression among post-pubertal adolescents i.e. teenagers. It seeks to critically assess all major methods of therapies offered to adolescents while mainly inquiring into the pharmacotherapy standards and practices. Depression, here, is considered on a general basis keeping it separate from its many variants that are largely dependent on the diverse socio-cultural settings. Therefore, clinical depression here is being treated simply as a pervasively occurring psychological disorder. Thus the paper will attempt to juxtapose the prevalent categories of therapies in order to carry out the risk-benefit analysis of pharmacotherapy, more commonly known as drug therapy. Even as recently as 1960's, psychologists and physicians doubted the existence of depression as a disorder in children and adolescents. They substantiated their beliefs by claiming that adolescents lack the mature psychological and cognitive brain structure necessary to experience such problems. But with increasing surveys, epidemiological analysis, scientific research and engineering developments, we have now a convincingly large body of evidence that has empirically established the incidence of a wide array of depressive disorders. (Shaffer, David & Bruce D.
Critically consider 2 or more psychological explanations of depression
Assignment title: Critically consider two or more psychological explanations of depression. The first psychological approach is the psychodynamic theory introduced by Sigmund Freud. This model suggests that major losses such as the loss of a job or rejection tend to increase the chance of developing depression in an individual. According to Freud, if an individuals fail to establish effective ways of dealing with such loss early on, they are likely to be depressed when confronted with another major loss. In this model, Freud also emphasised the significance of low self esteem in depression as a consequence of anger inward when encountering loss. For example the individual may believe that it is inappropriate to express their anger and therefore internalise it which leads to depression. One strength of the psychodynamic model of depression is that it has been supported by research in this area. For example Shah and Waller (2000) reported that many depression sufferers admitted to having affectionless parents. Given this, it could be argued that early loss is active in triggering later depression. In support of this Bifulco (1992) discovered that children were more likely to suffer depression later in life if their mothers had died during their childhood. However although this appears to be the case, we could argue that since their mothers had died, lack of necessary care
