Depression
Twenty-three year old Janice was having a hard time getting out of bed everyday. She would often lie in her darkened room long past noon, disregarding the chores, her own grooming, and she rarely spent anytime with her five year old son Rory. Rory's care was put almost entirely into the hands of Janice's mother, Dorothea, who had taken both of them in after Janice's husband had left them. Janice, when she was out of the confines of her room, was constantly snapping at her mother and son, and her lack of appetite had caused the already petite girl to lose fifteen pounds in under a month. Dorothea became increasingly concerned with her daughter's restlessness and apathy, as well as some of the other problems with self-esteem and inability to concentrate. She sought out help at her church, and the pastor told Dorothea that he'd be sending a social worker to her home to interview Janice.It took no more than a few moments of talking with Janice, that the social worker could see definite symptoms of depression. She referred Janice to a psychologist who confirmed the assumption with a diagnosis of Single Episode Depression. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), characterizes depression as a mood diso
Interpersonal therapists focus on the patient's disturbed personal relationships that both cause and exacerbate the depression. These therapies are often reserved until the depressive symptoms are significantly improved. (2) Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others). Five (or more) of the following symptoms which have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood, or (2) loss of interest or pleasure. (8) Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others). Her initial research is being conducted on physical abuse, both focused on women and children, but she finds a common link between many of these families. "I'd estimate that close to 40 percent of the mothers or children in the families I work with have some level of depression" (interview). Men, however, generally are diagnosed with depression in conjunction with substance abuse or conduct disorder. (5) Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down). In general, severe depressive illnesses, particularly those that are recurrent, will require medication along with, or preceding psychotherapy for the best outcome. Medical illnesses such as a stroke, heart attack, cancer and hormonal disorders can cause depressive illness, making the sick person apathetic and unwilling to care for his or her physical needs, thus prolonging the recovery period. She reported that men and women report similarities in the degree of impairment, length of episodes, chronicity of the illness, time to first recurrence, but women are much more likely to report seven or eight symptoms of depression, more than men. , a drug of abuse, a medication), or a general medical condition. In recent years, researchers have shown that physical changes in the body can be accompanied by mental changes as well.
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