Depression.Goal-Setting and Emotion Regulation - Term Paper Example

?Depression is a mental health issue that can affect anyone, at any time, in any stage of life. According to the National Institute for Mental Health, some of the symptoms of depression can include persistent feelings of hopelessness or pessimism, fatigue and decreased energy, and loss of interest in activities/hobbies that were once found pleasurable. Though these symptoms could in actuality belong to any number of issues, including a regular case of “the blues”, what makes depression unique is that these symptoms will not go away over a long period of time, and quite possibly not without some form of outside intervention (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011). At times, the depression can be so severe that it may lead a person to harm themselves or even attempt to take their own life, due to the fact that they believe that life simply is not worth living anymore (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011). There was once a time when those suffering from depression very few options; however, in modern times, many intervention options exist which are able to help a depressed person cope with this issue and possibly aid them in recovery. Two types of interventions and techniques available to those that may be suffering from depression are goal setting and emotion regulation. Goal-Setting and Emotion Regulation Goal-setting is a technique used primarily when seeking a change in behavior, and is a process by which a patient and a caregiver, such as a doctor or counselor, agree on a set of goals that will ultimately benefit the patient (Bodenheimer & Handley, 2009). Typically, goal-setting is not a procedure by which a patient is “told” the goals that need to be reached, but rather the goals are discussed and agreed upon mutually, with regular progress checks to determine if goals are being worked towards (Bodenheimer & Handley, 2009). The goals can differ based on the type of depression that is being managed as well as the personality of the one seeking intervention (Bodenheimer & Handley, 2009). Regardless, having goals, or having a plan, can be a valuable tool in managing the mental health issue of depression. A second intervention that may be used is emotion regulation. This intervention has the potential to be successful with those suffering from depression as, by nature, depression is a disorder of impaired emotion regulation (Joorman & Gotlib, 2010). This intervention refers to the attempts to influence three things: the types of emotions people feel, when they feel them, and how they express these feelings (Tugade & Fredrickson, 2007). Even though it may seem simplistic and mundane, having a strategy to infuse events and situations with positive feelings may help to support coping mechanisms against letting negative emotions take over (Tugade & Fredrickson, 2007). In helping patients with depression as a mental health issue, it has been hoped that patients can instead learn to access and dwell on positive emotions, rather than lingering on the negative emotions that do nothing to help, and may actually compound the negative emotions that depression has associated with it. Goal-Setting vs. Emotion Regulation Both of these interventions are comparable in that they emphasize the promotion of interventions that could ultimately lead to long-term recovery, rather than just managing the issue of depression itself. They are also alike in that these are both interventions that require time and effort on the part of the patient and the counselor in treating the issue of depression, rather than just a regiment of medication and therapeutic visits. However, as alike as they are, they also have dissimilarities between them. Though both interventions do require time and effort, they seek to accomplish different purposes. Goal-setting intervention aims to have the patient establish a “concrete plan” for helping themselves (Ubelacker, Weisberg, Haggarty & Miller, 2009). Emotion regulation focuses more on self-control, and having the patient control the results of their emotions, particularly negative emotions, and may possibly instead have the patient focus on positive outcomes instead of negative connotations (Tugade & Fredrickson, 2007). It may also include manipulating those positive images or emotions to include such things as “savoring”, or concentrating on those positive emotions to block out the negative emotions that may exacerbate depression symptoms (Tugade & Fredrickson, 2007). Goal-setting, on the other hand, contains no manipulation, but rather the breaking down of a bigger task, such as overcoming depression, into smaller tasks, thus giving the patient “projects” to do rather than an overwhelming focus (Ubelacker, Weisberg, Haggarty & Miller, 2009). Though the smaller goals may change over time, the larger task still remains the same, whereas emotion regulation may deal with different techniques depending on the situation where it is called into use. Empirical studies have been conducted and cited as to the benefits of both emotion regulation and goal-setting. Neuroimaging studies have cited the effects of conscious and voluntary emotion regulation with regards to negative emotion, with the use of MRI imaging (Beauregard, 2007). The study conclusively found that emotion regulation has a positive effect on depressive emotions, as long as a person is aware of their emotional state; it also determined that the brain systems that influence emotion are self-guided (Beauregard, 2007). In addition, when conducted in studies as interventions on depression in conjunction with deliberate self-harm, it was found that emotion regulation gave significant improvement (Slee, Garnefski, Spinhoven & Arensman, 2008). Goal-setting was found to have a significant positive psychological effect as well, as qualitatively described by participants in an open trial where goal-setting was a component in conjunction with therapy (Ubelacker, Weisberg, Haggarty & Miller, 2009). Out of twelve participants, ten expressed high satisfaction with their treatment, as well as a 50% change on a self-measured report of depressive symptoms (Ubelacker, Weisberg, Haggarty & Miller, 2009). It was also found that the goal-setting allowed participants to focus and, in some cases, gave them a needed “push” to perform tasks that would enable them to help control their depression (Ubelacker, Weisberg, Haggarty & Miller, 2009). In all cases, the main impact seen was psychological, which in turn impacted social and physical aspects. For example, some participants in the goal-setting study were able to realize their goals and their depression improved due to this (Ubelacker, Weisberg, Haggarty & Miller, 2009). Also, since according to the National Institute for Mental Health, depression affects all aspects of the human body, including mental, physical, and social, it is reasonable to note that emotion regulation and goal-setting will most likely impact all three aspects as well if they are used correctly. Discussion Both goal-setting and emotion regulation, while being forms of self-regulation interventions that can assist those dealing with depression, are likely to be successful if practiced correctly. People suffering from depression will likely need instruction in both of these practices, as well as regular follow-up sessions with a health professional such as a doctor or mental health counselor. Should those functions be performed, then they have the potential to be successful. Conversely, however, they also require effort on the part of the patient for success. For example, if goals are written down and never followed or worked for, they will never be realized; should this occur a negative reaction might actually take place, with the depression becoming even deeper as the feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness are exacerbated. In other words, the person that feels “I cannot do anything”, and proceeds to write down goals but never follow a working plan towards those goals, may actually feel that their feelings are justified and unconquerable, since (to them) they cannot seem to accomplish their goals. In addition, emotion regulation has the potential to be more successful than goal-setting, as emotion regulation contains techniques that will come into use whenever negative emotions overcome a person, which is more than likely to happen if a patient is suffering from depression. Negative emotions come into thoughts and feelings far more often outside of the “safe environment” of a counseling office or group therapy session, and can give the person in need of intervention a valuable tool that they can use anywhere, at any time, which can have an overall positive effect on how the depression is managed. This is not to say that goal-setting will be completely ineffective as an intervention, or that it stands no chance of success. It says merely that it may be more useful as a long-term strategy, possibly even used in conjunction with emotion regulation, in which emotion regulation provides short-term relief from negative emotions while goals are used to provide a long-term game plan for depression intervention. Conclusion Both goal-setting and emotion regulation interventions are interventions that promote self-regulation. Both give a person that may be suffering from depression an active, independent part in their intervention. In using these techniques, particularly in combination with group or private counseling, and possibly other intervention techniques such as placebo, medication, or others, a person has a very good chance of managing their depression symptoms, if not overcoming them completely, and being able to return to a life that is full of fulfillment and enjoyment. References Beauregard, M. (2007). Mind does really matter: Evidence from neuroimaging studies of emotional self-regulation, psychotherapy, and placebo effect. Progress in Neurobiology, (81), 218-236. Retrieved from http://www.institutpsychoneuro.com/doc/Beauregard2007_Progress.pdf Bodenheimer, T., & Handley, M. A. (2009). Goal-setting for behavior change in primary care: An exploration and status report. Patient Education and Counseling, (76), 174-180. Retrieved from http://rds.epi-ucsf.org/ticr/syllabus/courses/67/2010/05/20/Lecture/readings/Bodenheimer_Handley_PEC.pdf Joorman, J., & Gotlib, I. H. (2010). Emotion regulation in depression: Relation to cognitive inhibition. Cognition and Emotion, 24(2), 281-298. doi: 10.1080/02699930903407948 National Institute of Mental Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health. (2011). Depression (11-3561). Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/depression-booklet.pdf Slee, N., Garnefski, N., Spinhoven, P., & Arensman, E. (2008). The influence of cognitive emotion regulation strategies and depression severity on deliberate self-harm. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 38(3), 274-286. Retrieved from http://media.leidenuniv.nl/legacy/Slee et al_Suicide Life Threat Behav 2008.pdf Tugade, M. M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2007). Regulation of positive emotions: Regulation strategies that promote resilience. Journal of Happiness Studies, 8, 311-333. doi: 10.007/s10902-006-9015-4 Ubelacker, L., Weisberg, R., Haggarty, R., & Miller, I. W. (2009). Adaptive behavior therapy for persistently depressed primary care patients: an open trial. Behavior Modification, 33(3), 374-395. doi: 10.1177/0145445509331924 Read More