Depression Diagnosis and Theoretical Models

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Assessment
References

Introduction

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the current society. There are numerous factors that may lead to depressive disorders. It can be social, economic, physiological, or any other issue that may be traumatizing. According to Kaslow and Patterson (2006), the problem is that many people always ignore depression during the early stages when it can easily be treated.

They consider it a simple stress that would soon disappear once the stressors are eliminated or when one gets used to them. However, the truth is that sometimes the depression can worsen if it is not treated early enough.

It can lead to other health problems to the individual, especially when one is constantly exposed to the stressors for a long period. In this study, the researcher seeks to discuss a diagnosis done on a patient, and some of the theoretical models of psychology that can be used to address the problem once it is detected in a patient.

Assessment

Diagnosis based upon DSM-5

It is important to understand the main symptoms that a therapist might observe in a client with a mental disorder. One of the main symptoms is a persistent sadness that one cannot explain its source. Sometimes one may be anxious, with a strong feeling of hopelessness at work and at home. At times one would have a sense of guilt from incidences that happened several years ago.

When this happened, one would feel worthless and helpless from forces unknown. This may affect his performance at work, especially because he would often feel fatigued, and slowed down at his assignments. The patient may also find it difficult to wake up in the morning, and cases of oversleeping were common.

In some extreme cases, one may experience chronic pain, digestive disorders, feel restless, experience difficulty in concentration, and thoughts of suicide would cross his mind. The patient may also become easily irritable. Drastic loss of weight is another common symptom that can be detected in such a patient.

These symptoms would strongly suggest that the patient was suffering from depressive disorders that had been allowed into advanced stages without any proper medication.

Theoretical Models of Psychopathology

A number of theoretical models have been developed to help explain the causes of depressive disorders. In this study, the researcher will use a number of theoretical models of psychopathology to help in understanding this disorder.

Biological approaches

There are a number of biological models that seeks to explain psychopathology of depressive disorders. In this study, the researcher will focus on the genetic factors. According to Karyn (2010, p. 222), “Some types of depression tend to run in families, suggesting a genetic link.” The genetic link has been largely considered one of the common causes of depression among people in the society.

If one of the parents suffered from some form of depressive problems, then chances are high that the problem can easily affect one of the children. Our investigation of the patient did not determine whether either of the parents had suffered from this problem before.

This was so because the patient was not cooperative enough to tell the medical team about his background. The explanations given by the patient also ruled out the possibility that the problem could be associated with the genetic transfer because he must have acquired it.

Psychological approaches

The research by Nolen-Hoeksema (2014) says that psychological models have played a major role in explaining some of the common causes of depressive disorders. The research notes that psychological factors play a leading role in the rising cases of depressive disorder in the global society. Behavioral patterns have been identified as part of the psychological problems that may put one into the risk of acquiring depression.

According to Rashid and Ostermann (2009), introverts are more likely to be affected with depression than extroverts. An individual who keeps his problems to himself without adequately addressing them or sharing them with others stands a high chance of a mental breakdown.

When problems are shared, one would feel relieved, and the problem will easily be forgotten. However, people with a behavioral pattern of keeping their issues to themselves are at high risks of being psychologically affected by it. This was determined to be one of the chief reasons why the patient was suffering from this disorder. It was confirmed that he was an introvert who rarely opened up to other members of the society.

He rarely shared his problem, and it was not easy to determine when he was angry at something or someone. This explains why he was very restless when he was before the medical practitioners. This behavioral pattern can be dangerous if a person does not know how to deal with a particular problem effectively (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

The problem will continue affecting the person, and people around him or her will not be in a position to offer any help because they will not realize that there is a problem. The patient’s condition had reached advanced stages and the symptoms were too pronounced to be ignored. It was at this critical stage that the family members decided to seek for medical attention.

Social approaches

Social approaches may also be a factor that contributes to depressive disorders. In this study, we will focus on family as a social structure that plays a leading role in the creation of mental disorders. According to Karyn (2010), supportive families can help in reducing the possibility of depressive disorders advancing to critical levels. However, abusive families have been considered to play a leading role in worsening this disorder.

A family that is full of fights and abuses makes it difficult to share issues that cause depressive disorders. The patient was coming from a rather supportive family, making it difficult to determine why his condition worsened.

Impact of Social Contexts

According to Rashid and Ostermann (2009), depressive disorders were first considered a mental disorder by a German Psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin in 1895 when he distinguished it from schizophrenia. During the early days, the diagnosis was largely based on observable features and symptoms given by the client.

However, this has evolved over the years as more sophisticated technological tools are now available for the diagnosis of this disorder. There has been a massive social, economic, historical, and political impact in the fight against this disorder. The social environment has been improved as people become aware that the way to fight this disorder is to be accommodative and understanding.

The economic environment has also played a role as the society gets to know of the technological approaches that can be used to address the problem. The political environment has also played a role as governments have been increasing resource allocation to deal with the problem. Therapists have also relied on the historical data when diagnosing this disorder.

There are some ethical and therapeutic impacts of diagnostic labels on clients that should be considered when dealing with a patient suffering from a depressive disorder. The therapist must understand the ethical ways of informing the patient that his mental condition, though may appear critical, can be easily treated.

This will help avoid mental torture on the patient that may affect the condition negatively. This fact is clearly explained in the Cognitive Theories.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Arlington: Author.

Karyn, D. J. (2010). The Unstructured Clinical Interview. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88(1), 220-225.

Kaslow, F. & Patterson, T. (2006). Relational Diagnosis: A Retrospective Synopsis. Contemp Fam Ther, 28(6):269–284.

Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2014). Abnormal psychology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Rashid, T. & Ostermann, R. (2009). Strength-Based Assessment in Clinical Practice. Journal Of Clinical Psychology, 65(5), 488-498.

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