Principle of Mental Health Nursing - Essay Example

Fluctuations ranged from elation or sadness and are influenced by a number of biological, medical or social factors including work, family, and social responsibilities. People normally behave this way; however, when mood fluctuations become chronic and overwhelming that it already affects the activities of daily living, this becomes a clinical disorder. This is the case that happened to Simon Smith, a 49-year-old married man who was diagnosed with clinical depression five months ago after experiencing a number of unfortunate life events over the last eight months.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (2012), clinical depression or simply depression refers to a common mental disorder that presents with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration which can become chronic or recurrent and lead to substantial impairments in an individual's ability to take care of his or her everyday responsibilities (n.p.). Clinical depression is apart from temporary feelings of sadness, confused thinking, and somatic complaints.

General practitioners, nurses, and other members of the health care team play a crucial role in the early recognition and treatment of Mr. Smith’s clinical depression using the appropriate assessment tools and interventions that is client-centered and based on the current evidences. Initial Assessment To identify the triggering factors that cause imbalances in the mental state of Mr. Smith and to identify the diagnosis and severity of depression, a psychiatric mental health nurse should conduct a comprehensive psychiatric/psychosocial assessment.

Psychosocial assessment includes getting the patient history and evaluation of patient’s mental and emotional status (Varcarolis, 2011, p. 5). It also includes assessment of the triggering factors that led Mr. Smith to develop clinical depression. Triggering factors of depression are negative events or situations which play a vital role in the initial and persistent development of depression, examples of which include early loss, trauma, abuse, disruption of relationships, and other negative experiences (Moore and Garland, 2003, p. 52). In Mr.

Smith’s case, the triggering factors of depression are his mother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, niece’s admission to an Assessment Ward, son’s diagnosis and treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, involvement in a car crash with National trust property pressing for compensation, and difficulties with the insurance company. Meanwhile, standardized diagnostic tools also assist both the general practitioner and the nurse in identifying the signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and severity of clinical depression.

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD), 10th Revision and the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition: DSM-IV-TR guide psychiatric practitioners in the diagnosis of mental disorders. In the APA criteria for major or unipolar depression, Mr. Smith should have at least four or more signs or symptoms listed in the criteria for a period of two weeks to meet the diagnosis of clinical depression (APA, 2000, p. 349; Patel and Jakopac, 2012, p. 138) while in the ICD-10, Mr.

Smith should demonstrate specific number of