Pathophysiology of the Depression - Essay Example

Depression Depression Part A In the of investigating depression, it is essential to evaluate the pathophysiology of the disease process. First is the concept of neurotransmitters and mood. According to medical and psychological practitioners, neurotransmitters (noradrenaline and serotonin) are critical aspects that contribute to the control of an individual’s mood and emotional behavior. Neurotransmitters include adrenaline, serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline. It is essential to note that the noradrenaline is the noradrenergic system and receptors that are specific to the noradrenaline receptors and controlling mood or emotional behavior (Dunlop & Nemeroff, 2007). The major concentration of noradrenergic neurons relates to the locus ceruleus existing within the middle brain. Noradrenaline is essential in inhibiting and stimulating various emotional responses such as anxiety, stress, aggression, and sleep patterns. On the other hand, serotonin regulates pain, anxiety, pleasure, arousal, and sleep behavior during the sleep-wake cycle. In an attempt to manage extreme cases or incidents of depression, medical and psychological practitioners adhere to a set of standard practice process. First, there is need to focus on psychiatric management. Psychiatric management involves the establishment and maintenance of therapeutic alliance and evaluation of the patient’s safety. As a process, it enhances the coordination of patients’ care, monitoring of the patient’s psychiatric status and eventual improvement of the treatment adherence. The process is also fundamental to the provision of appropriate education to the patient and family. During the acute phase, there is need to focus on the utilization of appropriate treatment modalities such as somatic therapies, pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy while adhering to the condition of the patient. In addition, there is a substantial need for medical practitioners and nurses to determine clinical factors that might influence treatment process. The standard practice for management of the disease within my community adheres to the state and national practices with the intention of enhancing effectiveness and efficiency in the achievement of improved health conditions of the target audiences. There are diverse characteristics and resources for patients to manage depression effectively and efficiently. First, patients should access information that helps in managing depression. In addition, the patients who manage depression effectively and efficiently have the potentiality of enhancing their life expectancy under the influence of various treatment options or alternatives. Similarly, patients should exploit various treatment or therapeutic options in pursuit of quality health in accordance with improved living conditions. From this perspective, such patients have positive outcomes through minimization of the aspects of anxiety, sleep behavior, and effective control in relation to mood and emotional behavior (Anderson et al., 2005). Management of depression in the U.S is nearly similar to the international context, thus perfect for the incorporation of the most appropriate standard of practice in the treatment and management of the disease. Similarly, there are international mechanisms and medical practices, which are similar to the case of the U.S and, therefore, a justification for the limited disparities in the management and treatment of the disease. The purpose of these alternatives is to improve the living conditions of patients and achieve positive outcomes in the management of anxiety and emotional behavior. There are various factors, which might be essential to the determination of effective and efficient management of depression both at the national and international contexts. First, there is the concern of access to care. Increased access to care enables patients to improve their chances of managing depression effectively and efficiently. That is through exploitation of various treatment and management options in accordance with the demands and expectations of the patients. Second is the concept of financial resources that are vital to the determination of accessibility to care. It is essential for patients to spend a substantial amount of financial resources in an attempt to access various treatment options for the management of depression (Steger & Kashdan, 2009). Thirdly, insurance plays a critical role in the management of depression by patients effectively and efficiently. Insured patients have diverse access to medical and treatment options concerning depression through Medicare and Medicaid. Such programs have significant in the determination of access to healthcare, as well as management techniques. One of the major characteristics of mismanaged depression is persistent smoking. According to Frih et al. (2014), smoking is a serious risk factor that promotes depression. It is vital to understand the influence of nicotine in stimulating various receptors of the brain with the intention of improving mood and aspects among depressed individuals. Second, such patients might suffer from alcoholism. There are various problematic outcomes inclusive of depressive systems at the start of drinking. Such patients might experience serious physical inactivity and sleep disturbance. The condition prompts the necessity to manage the condition effectively and efficiently to achieve improved health conditions (Anderson et al., 2005). Part B Depression process affects patients, families and other people within a community, thus the need to focus on the implementation of appropriate strategies and mechanisms to attain positive outcomes. In the first instance, patients and respective families suffer from financial strains in the course of paying for alternative treatments and therapeutic practices. For instance, it is essential to procure medicine and attend psychiatric sessions by the patients. All may be expensive and deplete the financial resources of the patient and the respective families. In addition, individuals suffering from depression tend to adopt inappropriate social behavior such as anxiety and drug abuse. In addition, consumption of alcohol and smoking habits has the tendency of destabilizing families and interactions within the community. Similarly, there are concerns about inappropriate behavior by the patients suffering from depressive conditions, which might harm family members and others from the community. These social implications of the disease lead to increased stress and anxiety among the family members and aspects of the community. That makes it appropriate for the adoption and implementation of appropriate strategies, which will contribute to the realization of a positive outcome for the benefits of the patients, families, and communities. Furthermore, elimination of social implications of depression demands effective and efficient management of the disease, thus the perfect platform for the medical and psychological practitioners to control moods and emotional behavior appropriately. Part C It is essential to focus on the adoption and implementation of self-help strategies for depression towards improving the mood, as well as effective control of emotional behavior among the patients. These approaches will be essential in boosting the mood, relieving individuals from stress, and enabling such patients to overcome potential implications or negative elements in relation to depression. In the course of promoting best practices for the management of depression in the current healthcare organization, it is appropriate to utilize these three strategies. First, it is appropriate for the patients to consider tracking their thoughts in the process of managing depression. That is through writing the thoughts down, which is an effective approach towards expressing feelings, thus the opportunity to help an individual to figure out the thoughts contributing to his depressive condition. Secondly, it is ideal to adopt and implement a nutritional strategy, which focuses on enabling the patients to eat well and keep active (Stice, Ragan, & Randall, 2004). The approach is critical to making an ideal difference in energy levels, thus effectiveness and efficiency in the stimulation of the hormones to control mood and emotional behavior in the target audiences. Third, it is appropriate for the depressed individual to take substantial time out in the course of executing what they perceive as pleasure. When feeling uninterested, it is appropriate to consider participating in motivational social and physical activities that might enable an individual enjoy his or her daily activities, thus effectiveness and efficiency in the management of emotional behavior and mood. In the course of evaluating the outcome of these strategies, it is critical to assessing their potentiality in facilitating the achievement of the objectives with reference to positive outcomes and effective control of the mood and emotional behavior. References Andersson, G., Bergström, J., Holländare, F., Carlbring, P., Kaldo, V., & Ekselius, L. (2005). Internet-based self-help for depression: randomised controlled trial. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 187(5), 456-461. Dunlop, B. W., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2007). The role of dopamine in the pathophysiology of depression. Archives of general psychiatry, 64(3), 327-337. Frih, H., Chettoum, A., Guedri, K., Frih, N., Rachedi, B., Djenidi, R., & Fisson, S. (2014). Risk Factors of Mood Disorders (Depression and Anxiety) in Smoking Subjects: Reliability with the Age of Smoking Initiation and Inflammatory Processes. Annual Research & Review in Biology, 4(12), 1988. Steger, M. F., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Depression and everyday social activity, belonging, and well-being. Journal of counseling psychology, 56(2), 289. Stice, E., Ragan, J., & Randall, P. (2004). Prospective relations between social support and depression: Differential direction of effects for parent and peer support?. Journal of abnormal psychology, 113(1), 155. Read More