Systematic Reviews and Treatment Guidelines of Depression - Coursework Example

Systematic Review and Treatment Guideline of Depression Depression is a problem of mental health condition which gains popularity with more and more people worldwide due to different, often common, reasons. This condition may have different consequences in every particular case: it may be either easily overcome or it may lead to serious health damage and demand significant efforts both from the therapists’ and the client’s side. Depression of any origin or degree needs treatment in order to protect the client from serious health damage, and this paper will provide treatment guidelines for this mental health problem. Systematic Review and Treatment Guideline of Depression A Brief Outline of the Condition Depression is a mental health problem which is characterized primarily by depressed emotional condition of the person, negative thinking and loss of interest and being reluctant to many things, including those previously enjoyed. The symptoms of this mental health problem differ among individuals, but there are some that are quite common and make it possible to state that the problem is namely depression. Such symptoms include: constant feeling sad, anxiety, feeling of ‘emptiness’; hopelessness, pessimistic thinking; feeling helpless, worthless and/or guilty, irritation of higher degree that previous, unrest; no pleasure from the activities which have previously brought one; loss of stamina; concentration, memory and attention difficulties; problems with sleep (either early or late awakening); problems with appetite; suicide considerations and even attempts; pains and aches. (NIMH, 2015). It is difficult to clearly define what the reasons for the depression emergence are, but the findings of the scientific researches on this topic state that there are three main types of reasons which cause this mental health problem: social, biological and psychological. Social reasons, obviously, are the reasons related to the individual’s social functioning, namely its failure: being unable to develop proper social skills and failure of relationships establishing with the other members of society. Biological reasons are related to the peculiarities of the brain of individuals who have depression: it is stated that their brains are different from those of the persons not subjected to depression. Psychological reasons, finally, are those related to psychological peculiarities of the patients with the depression. (NIMH, 2015). It is also reported that two-thirds of those people who have depression do not consider it necessary to seek for proper treatment; in the same time, 80 per cent of the patients who have done this state that their condition has improved significantly. (Washington University of Saint Louis, 2015). Systematic Review and Treatment Guidelines The NICE-provided systematic review of the depression condition contributes to the above mentioned information. The three mentioned types of reasons – psychological, social and biological – are not captured as well as desired by the existing diagnostic means, and they considerably affect the course of this mental health problem and the patient’s treatment response. It is also stated that the definition of the depression as a problem should not be based primarily on a symptoms count, but a comprehensive and complete assessment of a potential patient is needed. The problem is also that the necessary help for the patient is not always delivered properly which negatively affects the course or treatment. That is why it is recommended that the experienced and skillful practitioners should conduct interventions, and the latter should be based on reliable sources. The practitioners also shall be regularly supervised, and the supervisions shall be qualitative; the usual outcomes of the depression treatment shall be used with the consideration of the patient’s involvement into assessment of the treatment efficiency; the treatment course shall be conducted with evaluation of the practitioner’s competence (by means of external auditor(s), if applicable, or audiovisual materials analysis). (NICE, 2009). The treatment recommendations provided by NICE are also an exhausting source of information related to the depression treatment. The therapists shall use nonjudgmental and engaging mode of operation and the work with the client should be open. The treatment choice shall be done optimistically with explanation that depression is a condition which can be overcome and the recovery is practically reachable. The information obtained from the client shall be confidential and shall not be conveyed to any third parties; dignity of the patient, along with the privacy, shall both be respected. The information about depression and ways of its treatment provided to the patient and his family members shall be delivered in accordance with the level of its understanding by them, and clinical language without explanation of its meaning shall not be used. The treatment for depression shall include, in case of mild or moderate forms of depression, psychotherapy, among which cognitive behavioral therapy application is the most effective means of treatment, pharmacology treatment (choice of antidepressants and choice of this way of treatment at all shall be based upon the patient’s previous experience, that is, if the depression is in its initial stage it is quite possible to avoid drugs medication). (NICE, 2009). The above mentioned treatment guidelines make it possible to state the following about the patient from the vignette and the way of her problem overcoming. Psychotherapy, and namely cognitive behavioral therapy, shall be definitely used for several reasons. First, this is the way of psychotherapeutic treatment of mental health problems which is based on the biggest and most relevant scientific research and experience ground and, therefore, has the best efficiency in practice. (Barlow, 2008, 251). Second, efficiency of this method has been proved from the real-world effect perspective and it has been experimentally proved that this way of treatment allows for the most evident changes in the patient’s condition. (Shadish et al., 512; Dobson, 1989, 414). Finally, the patient herself realizes that she is responsible to a significant extent for what happens to her which means that she is able to consider her behavior and potentially is able to change it. The other resource to get information for the problem treatment is testing: for example, it is possible to give the patient a small test on the activities, the level of mastery and pleasure received from them. (Barlow, 2008, 271). Together with the discussion of the results which is another psychotherapeutic resource, it is possible to detect depression if some activities have been previously enjoyed and the current state of affairs is radically different. The depression treatment may be approached from other perspectives with a great deal of efficiency. Interpersonal therapy is one of the psychotherapy approaches which are effective for mild and moderate forms of depression: it helps the patient to analyze and cope with troublesome relations negatively affecting depression. This is an effective treatment because of its being aimed at the thing which is not always referred to as the reason for depression – relations with the others. Behavioral activation is a second treatment component which is effective for depression treatment: it is aimed at activation increase which is a positive factor in a depression course. It is effective because its efficiency has been proved by latest empirical researches. (Barlow, 2008, 328). Combination treatment is a component which shall be used with the thorough consideration: this means that the psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatments are combined. This is an effective means of treatment for teenagers, but it can also be applied to the adults because of enforcing positive effects of each way usually used separately. (NIMH, 2015). Conclusion Depression is a serious mental health problem which shall be treated. This is a condition which demands both the therapist’s and the patient’s efforts, and the way they both use their resources contributed to the treatment efficiency and decrease of the risk of its emergence in the future. The therapist shall carefully choose the way of treatment and thoroughly study the patient’s experience and information on the current condition. References Barlow, D. (2008). Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders: A Step-by-Step Treatment Manual. New York: Guilford Press. Dobson, K. (1989). A Meta-analysis of the Efficacy of Cognitive Therapy for Depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(3), 414-419. NICE. (2009). Depression in Adults: The Treatment and Management of Depression in Adults. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg90 NIMH. (2015). What is Depression? http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml#part_145399 Shadish, W., Navarro, A., Matt, G., Phillips, G. (2000). The Effects of Psychological Therapies under Clinically Representative Conditions: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 126(4), 512-529. Washington University of Saint Louis. (2015). Depression Facts. http://www.psychiatry.wustl.edu/depression/depression_facts.htm Read More