Major Depression

While clinical depression is often treated by psychologists or psychiatrists, this particular mental disorder is also a ôcommon presenting problemö that is addressed by clinical social workers (Austrian, 1995, pp. 17-18). Of treatment approaches, pharmacological methods are the method of choice among clinicians. It is the purpose of this report to first delineate the symptomatology of depression and then describe some of the theories of its etiology, considering biopsychosocial factors which may contribute to the disorder and discussing the impact of specific environmental variables. Finally, the implications for a range of interventions targeting the depressed client will be discussed.

The symptomatology of depression includes ôdifficulties in performing everyday activities of living,ö chronic fatigue, ho

. . .
onset of depression in all populations while the existence of familial or other support networks also seems to prevent the onset of this disorder or ameliorate many of its effects. Social support is seen by Cummings, et al (2003, p. 27) as ôassisting in preventing the onset of depression among older African-Americansö who are more likely than Caucasian Americans to enjoy the support of extended families. However, when poverty, which leads to social isolation and chronic illnesses are considered, these differences tend to diminish. Starks, Poulin, and Kisely (2005, p. 580) conductive research on Canadians, suing data from the Community Health Survey Cycle, and found that following characteristics were at increased risk for major depression: ôfemale sex; widowed; separated or divorced marital status; low income; and 20 or more comorbid medical conditions.ö However, only 40 percent of the respondents in this study reported seeking help or consulting their health practitioner or a mental health specialist over their depression, (Starks et al., 2005). Sloan and Kornstein (2003, pp. 582-583) have stated that for most patients presenting with clinical depression, treatment paradigms often include the use of antidepressant pharmace
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Archives Psychiatry, Rx Remedy, Sloan Kornstein, Goldstein Rosselli, Toshiaki Takashi, Health Center, DSM-IV Major, Brownhill Parker, Watts Markham, Lohr Gaynes, major depressive, depressive disorder, major depressive disorder, et al, major depression, al 2005, et al 2005, nearly day, mental illness, depression 2005, cognitive-behavioral therapy, sloan kornstein 2003, goldstein rosselli, goldstein rosselli 2003, cummings et al,
Approximate Word count = 2915
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Major Depression