Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in today’s society. A depressed individual has had persistent and disabling emotions of sadness, hopelessness, apathy, and loss of interest in life for at least two weeks. Those suffering from depression, on the other hand, are more prone to experiencing severe, uncontrollable, and continuous fear and anxiety while going about their regular lives in ordinary contexts. Many anxiety disorders are characterized by recurring episodes of acute anxiety, panic, or sadness that peak in minutes.
Clinical Question Using the PICOT Format
In anxiety and depression management (P), how effective are antidepressant medications (I) compared to the use of natural remedies for anxiety and stress relief (C) in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression(O) among female population? (T)
Depression has increased steadily over the past few decades due to several interrelated variables, including the increasing demands of modern life and the influence of several other factors. In contrast, relatively few medications have a rapid onset of action, excellent efficacy, and few side effects (Liu et al., 2019). Lavender essential oil and Acorus tatarinowii essential oil are two essential volatile oils widely used in traditional natural herbal medicine to alleviate symptoms of depression and calm emotions (Zhang et al., 2021). Despite their minimal toxicity and side effects, it has been demonstrated that these volatile oils possess antidepressant characteristics (Liu et al., 2019). Since they can quickly enter the brain and cross the blood-brain barrier, researchers summarized the classification of depression and the history of volatile oils as a treatment for depression in many nations.
The research focused on the antidepressant mechanisms of volatile oils and their monomers found in natural medicine and herbal medicine, respectively. In addition, researchers outlined the antidepressant properties of natural volatile oils. The volatile oils in natural medicine and pharmaceutical antidepressants were analyzed and compared in a comparative study (Zhang et al., 2021). The volatile oils’ clinical application and delivery methods were investigated to provide insight into their future applications.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a technique that involves examining, analyzing, and translating the most recent scientific findings. To make judgments in the best interests of their patients, nurses must quickly synthesize the most recent and relevant results from the best available research, as well as clinical experience and patient demand. Before the introduction of evidence-based practice (EBP), medical professionals relied on the advice of more experienced colleagues, which they frequently took at face value, as well as their intuition and what they had learned as students. What is learned as students is prone to errors and prejudices, and what students gain via experience fades quickly (Zhang et al., 2021). Individuals who rely solely on older and more knowledgeable coworkers for information risk acquiring outdated, prejudiced, and erroneous information. This is not to say that clinical experience is unimportant; on the contrary, it is a crucial component of evidence-based practice (EBP). To make effective decisions, however, medical practitioners must combine clinical knowledge with various other sorts of evidence-based information. It is dangerous to rely only on clinical experience.
Overview of Databases that are Available and Relevant to Anxiety and Depression
Antidepressant efficacy and effectiveness research is currently being evaluated. The research methodologies used in this paper comprised the largest-ever assessment of antidepressant effectiveness by examining four meta-analyses of efficiency trials submitted to the FDA in the United States (Siddiqui et al., 2021). According to meta-analyses of FDA data, antidepressants have only shown a moderate benefit compared to placebo, and a significant reported bias overstates their efficacy. At each step of the study, a rising percentage of individuals dropped out, implying that the efficacy of antidepressant medication was significantly lower than the researchers reported (Siddiqui et al., 2021). Another study sought to compile clinical evidence on the efficacy of aromatherapy for depressive symptoms across all patient groups. The report’s methodology involved systematic database research across numerous datasets using specified search phrases, including AMED, CINHAL, CCRCT, and MEDLINE. The results were analyzed using depressive disorder severity markers (Siddiqui et al., 2021). Twelve randomized controlled trials were examined, with aromatherapy provided via inhalation and massage as two treatment distribution techniques.
This extensive review aims to present a synthesis of the medical literature on the efficacy of aromatherapy in treating depressive symptoms in people from various backgrounds. AMED, CINHAL, CCRCT, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO data were acquired using a systematic network search utilizing predetermined search words in the following five databases: AMED, CINHAL, CCRCT, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO (Siddiqui et al., 2021). As a success indicator, anxiety and depression severity scores were used. Seven studies discovered improvements in depression diagnosis. Several studies have found that aromatherapy can be an effective therapeutic alternative for alleviating the symptoms of depression. Aromatherapy massage, in particular, was found to be more effective than simply eating the essential oils alone.
Findings from the Database, and the Evidence Determined
Certain essential oils have been shown in studies to have an anxiolytic effect, which means they reduce anxiety while boosting the amount of serotonin produced by the body. As evident in various studies conducted across a variety of platforms, a request has been made to intervention-based researchers on the above-explored traces of evidence to raise awareness of effective non-pharmacological therapies for addressing clinical manifestations of anxiety and depression (Zhang et al., 2021). The supporter for compliance suggestions that address system and compensation hurdles to evidence-informed vast monitoring of psychotic symptoms is also included (Zhang et al., 2021). The research makes it clear that, even though using non-medical to alleviate anxiety is not a cure for the condition, it has been demonstrated to be as effective as medicinal drugs with various side effects. Some users can become immune to the drugs after prolonged usage (Zhang et al., 2021). Consequently, it is of the utmost importance to either discover alternative treatment methods or institute controls on the inappropriate use of medical therapies to alleviate the myriad of symptoms associated with anxiety and mood disorders.
References
Liu, Q., Li, R., Qu, W., Li, B., Yang, W., & Cui, R. (2019). Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions of depression after traumatic brain injury: A systematic review. European Journal of Pharmacology, 865, 172775. Web.
Siddiqui, F., Barbateskovic, M., Juul, S., Katakam, K. K., Munkholm, K., Gluud, C., & Jakobsen, J. C. (2021). Duloxetine versus ‘active’ placebo, placebo or no intervention for major depressive disorder; a protocol for a systematic review of randomised clinical trials with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis. Systematic Reviews, 10(1). Web.
Zhang, Y., Long, Y., Yu, S., Li, D., Yang, M., Guan, Y., Zhang, D., Wan, J., Liu, S., Shi, A., Li, N., & Peng, W. (2021). Natural volatile oils derived from herbal medicines: A promising therapy way for treating depressive disorder. Pharmacological Research, 164, 105376. Web.