Attention Improvement in Adults with Depressive Disorder - Research Paper Example

? Attention improvement in adults with depressive disorder Attention disorder among adults is a neurobiological defect. The problem tends to affect the ability of adults to concentrate leading to restlessness or hyperactivity. This can lead to diminished ability to perform. Attention defect is known to lead to diminished tolerance of frustration and poor control of emotions. Cognitive theory on addressing the attention reduction among adults emphasizes on changing the negative beliefs among the clients. Management of attention deficit among adults entails pharmacology interventions that minimize the effects of attention deficit. Stimulant medications are the treatment of choice when addressing ADHD. There is a correlation between brain capacity and attention deficiency. There is need to develop practical ways of coping when dealing with adults suffering from attention deficit. Most of the adults suffering from attention deficit attribute it to childhood occurrences. The attention deficit disorders can be addressed by the predisposing factors and attitudes. This can give strong insights into methods of reducing attention deficit among adults suffering from depressive disorder. 1.0 Introduction Attention is a cognitive process that allows selective concentration on one thing while ignoring others. Attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder among adults is a neurobehavioral condition that is characterized by excessive restlessness, distraction and impulsivity. A study by Mathews on neuro-imaging in attention deficiency among adults suffering from depressive disorders suggests that the cerebellum is involved in the neural circuitry attention of human beings. A study by Gottwald demonstrated that patients with focal cerebellar lesions suffer from impairment in working memory and attention. Therefore, depressive experiences have a direct impact on executive control of attention. Improving the memory of adults suffering from depressive disorders entails improving the mental capacity and cerebral efficiency. The frontal cortex of the brain is known to perform attention tasks to the optimum in case the cerebellum remains unimpaired (Goldberg & Burdick, 2008). Based on the available research, adult patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder suffer from decreased blood flow. This is accompanied by prefrontal cortex on the right hemisphere and activation of limbic structures (Skinner, 2002). According to Skinner (2002), the network spinal analysis hypothesizes that repeated life stressful events without adequate coping strategies can impair the ability of the brain to pay attention to the body’s internal processes (Horwitz & Wakefield, 2007). This results to reduced body awareness and a decline in the ability of the body to access the healing resources. Prefrontal cortical areas in the right hemisphere are a part of a neural network that sub-serves the cognitive process that controls attention (Emmons & Anderson, 2005). According to Emmons & Anderson (2005), reduced attention among adults can be caused by extreme stress, brain injury leading to premature development or dangerous behavior. Studies show that two-third of the adults with ADHD has additional mental health or learning disorders (Gottwald et al, 2003). According to both NIMH and Allen & Sheeba (2008), between 30 and 70 percent of the adults suffering from attention deficit get it from childhood. Many adults with attention deficit develop effective ways of coping. Adults with attention deficit but unaware can be given helpful information (Rumsey & Ernst, 2009). Most of the adults suffering from this condition tend to have difficulty managing frustrations (Farrell, 2011). Arguably Farrell (2011) concludes that this is accompanied by physical restlessness, hyperactivity and poor management skills. 2.0 Importance of the study The research is expected to reveal the challenges of the adults suffering from attention deficit arising from depression. According to Tasman (2003), adults with ADHD need supportive environment where they can improve their social skills and stress management strategies. Studies show that depression is a highly recurrent disorder. According to Mathew (1996), there are many ways of addressing attention deficits. Approximately 80 percent of adults with poor attention experience recurrence of the behavior within one year. In one of the studies by Gottwald, clinically depressed participants revealed that selective attention was common among the participants. According to NIMH, attention deficiency affects 4.4 percent of adults. Over 79 percent of the adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity suffer from comorbidities like neurodevelopment, anxiety, depression, antisocial personality disorders and insomnia. The depressive disorder leads to hyperactivity and self-meditation (Tasman, Kay, & Lieberman, 2003). 3.0 Research questions What are the strategies for attention improvement among adults with depressive disorder? How can attention deficit be positively altered in the adults suffering from psychological and mental defects? 4.0 Hypothesis There is an urgent need to develop strategies that lead to attention improvement among adults suffering from depressive disorder. The solution must reduce attention deficit by addressing the psychological orientation of the depressed adults. This research explores on the means of improving the attention of depressed adults. This is assisted through measuring the response time in a projected study and experiment on adults’ selective attention on sad and happy faces. A proposed study on impact of depression on attention among adults- Name of the study: selective attention in depressed adults 5.0 Methodology 5.1Expected Participants Three groups of adults are expected to participate in a study on attention and depressive disorder. The participants have to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder. These participants are to be sourced in the local community. The study shall include participants aged between 18 and 60 years. The group shall be excluded from substance abuse, head trauma, and anxiety disorders. The participants shall have to fill a 21- item self-report depression inventory before the research begins. The research aims at measuring the severity of the depressive symptoms and attention. The interviewing team is expected to possess good skills in interpreter reliability for m.d.d. with (K=1.00). In the cases with non-psychiatric controls, the constant k= 0.92. Three groups of participants shall be used. The participants must successfully meet the standards of diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders of MDD. This group shall be included in the depressed group. Those with a history of depressive disorder and had passed the DSM test shall be put in the r.m.d (remitted) group. However, the latter group shall be assessed accessed further to determine who had discovered fully from the past major depressive disorder. This shall be done after 8 weeks observations of without manifesting any symptoms or minimal symptoms without any impairment. The non-disorder control group (N.C.) shall represent participants without any history or diagnosis of the disorder. The m.d.d (major depressive disorder) is expected to have 6 participants, the r.m.d. (remitted disorders) groups shall have 6 participants and never-disordered control group (NC) shall have 6 participants. The participants shall be expected to attend a second session of computer tasks. 5.2Materials Computers shall be used to set 20 faces with happy, sad and neutral emotions. The expressions shall vary across genders and ethnicities. The groups of participants are expected have equal number of males and females. 5.3Design Each of the 20 happy, 20 sad pictures paired with neutral expressions shall be presented to every actor twice. This shall ensure eighty trials presented in a randomized order for every subject. Each trial shall start with a cross-like fixation in the middle of the screen. A pair of pictures is expected to be displayed to the same participant with either an emotional or neutral expression. The displays shall last for 1000ms. Upon offsetting the pictures, a tiny gray dot shall appear in the middle of the screen. The dot is expected remain until the participant pressed a response button on the keyboard. The aim was to indicate the position of the dot by pressing either the right or the left button on the keyboard. A computer shall be used to record the latency and the accuracy of each response. The emotional stimulus pictures shall be available on both sides of the screen. The dot test shall present on both sides with equal probability. 5.4Procedure This section of the research proposal discusses the instruments to be used in conducting the study on attention deficit among depressed adults. This shall involve the use of computer hardware and specialized software. The E-prime software would record the accuracy and latency of the response from each participant. The participants shall be using HP monitor and IBM computers. With picture images of 10 by 9 cm, the participants shall be told to spot the small dot as fast as possible. Each participant is expected to sit about 40 cm from the screen. The respondents are supposed to respond quickly by pressing a button labeled the direction the dot appears. This can either be right or left buttons. However, the probability of the dot appearing on either side shall be equal. The participants shall undertake 12 trials in the task. The aim of the procedure is to indicate how the variables shall be obtained before they data analysis takes place. Credibility of the process is expected to confirm that attention deficit can be reduced through psychological treatment that affects biases among depressed adults. 5.5Participant characteristics The three participant groups shall be standardized in terms of age, ethnicity and education. The NC group is expected to have slightly older participants. The m.d.d. and r.m.s group should not differ from each other. 5.6Hypotheses of the projected study Attention deficit among adults is known to be demonstrated through selective attention. The study uses two groups of depressed adults and one group of non-depresses adults to assess attention deficit. The major depressive disorder group and RMD participants would demonstrate an attention bias for sad faces unlike the NC (non-disorder control group). The idea of this research is inspired by a study on discriminatory concentration to Emotional faces subsequent to recovery from depression. The study indicates that depressed adults can be known through the initial response to joy or sadness in their environment. It also reveals that attention improvement among depressed adults in a mental conditioning. (Projected variables) A graph of expected attention-bias score against the participants 5.7Indication from statistics The mental depressive group is expected to have the largest bias score towards the sad faces. Attention improvement among depressed adults shall be reflected through the high or low scores on attention bias. Large attention bias towards sad faces indicates attention deficit that needs to be improved. It also suggests the need for positive attitude among the depressed adults. This is in sharp contrast to the control group which is expected to suggest a strong dislike for sad faces while recording the higher attention to the happy faces. The two groups are expected to demonstrate a more vigilance towards the sad faces compared to the NC group. The NC group is estimated to have vigilance towards happy faces compared to m.d.d and r.m.d groups. The two groups (m.d.d and r.m.d) are not expected show significant differences in their response towards the happy facial expression. The control group is likely to indicate affiliation from happy faces while the other groups are expected to show bias towards the sad faces. 5.8Data deduction The response latencies from the correct response were shall be analyzed. Attention bias score shall be recorded separately for each emotional expression. 5.9Expected mode of calculation Attention-Bias grade= [((Rp-Le)-(Rp-Re) + (LpRe) – (LpLe))] ? R= right position, e=emotional face L –left and p=probe. The RpLe means that the mean latency probe is positioned in the right side and emotional face is in the left. The equation calculates the mean attention-capturing quality. Positive values indicate that there is a shift of attention towards the location of the emotional faces relative to the neutral faces. 6.0 Anticipated discussion and conclusion The research is likely to confirm that attention is a function of neurosciences that affect attention networks in the brain. Attention is a property of the entire brain. This attention response of the gray dot is expected to be triggered by the neurological impulses. The research is expected to address the focused and sustained attention that could be manifested by adults who have suffered depressive conditions. 7.0 Expected results Improving attention among depressed adults demands careful observation of data obtained from the procedure and processing to know the results from the depressed groups and control group. The results are likely to indicate that attention processing can be affected by depressive experiences in the lives of adults. Negative stimuli that remains in the environment for more than a second tend to attract the attention of formally depressed adults (Tronick, 2007). The research is expected to further to assess the ability to simultaneously process two pieces of information at once and apply selective attention. This is essential in improving attention deficit among depressed adults. According to Sanders (1998), the result is expected to confirm that Adult depressive disorder has a profound effect on the ability to sustain attention in the presence of distracters. The proposed research might indicate that clinically depressed adults exhibit attention bias towards sad faces. The never-disordered group showed tendencies of avoiding the sad faces intentionally (Rumsey & Ernst, 2009). However, the results are likely to show that the other two groups easily identify with the sad facial expressions while searching for attention. The health of the brain impacts the level of concentration (Rumsey & Ernst, 2009). The mental depressive disorder and remitted depressed disorder groups which are supposed to record weaker brain capacities in terms of memory and temperament might demonstrate a preference for negative stimuli. The data implication on the scores of attention bias reveals that depression is inversely proportional attention capability. The attention-bias score is likely reveal a high level on attention through negative stimuli receptors (Maj & Sartorius, 2002). Therefore, for the memory of an adult to improve, the environment plays a significant role. 8.0 Expected observations from the research The harmful effects of depression are enhanced by negative stimuli which have negative impact on the memory capacity. Depressed individuals process negative cues based on the environment they live (Sanders et al, 1998). They also tend to have more attention on the negative than positive experiences which is a form of defense mechanism. This means the reducing negative stimuli from adults suffering from depressive disorders can improve their attention. Clinical depression leads to selective attention and attention bias. The findings are important for the adults suffering from attention deficit. 9.0Limitations of the methodology The methodology does not fully reveal whether attention deficit among adults is a direct result of depressive disorders or it is a trait-like characteristic of an individual. Limited researches have been conducted using this kind of research. This has made it difficult to test the effectiveness of the research method. The methodology can fail to capture the reasons behind the disparities in the attention among the sample groups. The methodology may also fail to access the factors that affect the effectiveness of the brain. The methodology is likely to be occasioned by minor omissions and abnormal scores which can affect the accuracy of the result. The observational nature of the research can preclude the researcher from definitive conclusions. This can be occasioned by a lack of the cause-effect relationship when discussing the findings. 10.0Future directions of the research Future research must incorporate the recent advances in the neurosciences. The brain is said to be subdivided into sections that affect the alerting and orienting of the executive response of parts of the body. Researches must address the cognitive operations that reflect decision-making and planning. Studies indicate that cerebellum prepares responding to stimuli through repositioning sensory receptors. Research should be conducted to assess the psychiatric comorbidities that impair attention and concentration among adults. The study should compare the focused attention to the effectiveness of tasks completion. The relationship between psychological status of patients and the behavior review must be captured in the rating scales of the expected reviews. This might give strong insight into efficient methods of improving attention among adults suffering from attention deficit through depressive disorders. References Allen, N. B., & Sheeber, L. B. (2008). Adolescent emotional development and the emergence of depressive disorders. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press Bradley, B. P., Mogg, K., & Lee, S. C. (1997). Attentional biases for negative information in induced and naturally occurring dysphoria.Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35,911–927 Emmons, P. G., & Anderson, L. M. (2005). Understanding sensory dysfunction: Learning, development and sensory dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, learning disabilities and bipolar disorder. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Farrell, M. (2011). The effective teacher's guide to behavioural and emotional disorders: Disruptive behaviour disorders, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. London: Routledge. Goldberg, J. F., & Burdick, K. E. 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