Diagnostic Difficulties of Depressive Symptoms

Rabasca, L. & staff. (1998). When a patient is depressed after an accident, it is often difficult to determine what is causing depressive symptoms. APA Monitor, 29(11): Document available at: www.apa.org/monitor/depress.html.

This article is not an empirical study but rather a description and discussion of those factors and variables that make proper diagnosis of the etiology of the depression following an accident difficult. Following the discussion of factors contributing to diagnostic problems, several recommendations are made to psychologists for working with patients who develop depression following an accident.

The article begins by noting that depression following an accident could be: (a) a psychoemotional reaction to the accident; (b) a reaction to the symptoms (e.g., impaired brain injury, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, headache, dizziness, impaired judgement, etc.) associated with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI); or (c) both a reaction to symptoms and a general psychoemotional response to being in an accident.

It is then noted that not only is it difficult to determine the proper diagnosis for a patient with depression following an accident but also that misdiagnosis is quite common. Several reasons are provided for the high frequency of misdiagnosis. T

. . .
ld traumatic brain injury about how symptoms can interfere with work and the fact that they may need to take some time off or, if their job is quite demanding, the fact that they may never be able to return to it. If patients have not been diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury, but the clinician feels that mild traumatic brain injury may be associated with the depression, it is recommended that he/she evaluate the source of the accident and pattern of symptoms, order testing, determine how the patient functioned prior to the accident by interviewing the patient, the family and even the employer if necessary. Also, some clinicians may wish to evaluate whether there is any history of learning disabilities. Evaluation Although in a fairly reputable journal, this article reads more like newspaper coverage of the topic of depression and mild traumatic brain injury than it does scholarly coverage. For example, whereas most journals substantiate their points with citations to empirical research establishing the findings, this article---like newspaper coverage of topics---supports its points with quotes or paraphrases from experts. These experts are: 1. Mitchell Rosenthall, PhD, a professor and associate chair of the department
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Approximate Word count = 1407
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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