Introduction
According to The World Health Organization (2011), depression is defined as a disorder in the mental health system that is presented with feelings of guiltiness, low concentration, and a decrease in the need for sleep (WHO, 2011). Depression can be classified as a type of mood disorder. Depression has been noted to be quite chronic. Chronic disease is often present in a long-term period and usually takes a long time to treat though the cure at times does not work out successfully (AIHW, 2010). Moreover, evidence shows that depression is usually associated with mental and physical illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis (Gerrig et al., 2009). As a result, The World Health Organization claimed that by the year 2020 depression will be the second disease in the world that leads to health problems (WHO, 2011). This essay will discuss the causes, symptoms, and effects of depression. It will also discuss how medical practitioners can work to treat this disorder and how they can involve other community members to contribute to the same.
Depression
Causes of Depression
Depression can be caused by several factors. These are known as risk factors and include biological, physiological, environmental, and social. Environmental and social factors include poverty, family issues such as divorce or abusive parents among others. Biological factors include temperament, anxiety, family history of depression, and negative thought patterns. These can be overcome by creating good relationships, good family, and taking part in extracurricular activities (Profile of Depression in Australia, n.d.)
Types of depression
A person can suffer from different types of depression: major, typical, dysthymia, or seasonal affective disorder depression. The first type is major depression which makes a person unable to enjoy life as it has a tendency of frequently recurring. The second is a typical depression; this is mainly noticed when a person changes moods from time to time and situation to situation; mood is affected by the external environment. Dysthymia is the third type of depression. It does not have pronounced symptoms but is recurrent and mild. Lastly, is the seasonal affective disorder which is caused by the change of seasons. The rainy and misty days characterize this category of depression (Smith et al., 2010).
Symptoms of Depression
Depression affects the social life of a patient in a negative way; for instance, it can break down relationships leading to divorces. This may create homelessness, social break down and affects people’s motivation and self-management, for example, a patient may threaten to commit suicide and also may harm other people around him/her (Smith et al., 2010).
A patient with depression is likely to suffer from weight problems. Their weight might increase or decrease by up to 5 percent in one month (Smith et al., 2010). Physical activities usually carried out by a depressed person are likely to decrease as the person is likely to be weak due to improper eating which mostly occurs due to lack of appetite for food. They may take a long time to finish doing something that should take a few minutes.
Prevalence of Depression in Australia
Depression can occur at any age in life. Research in Australia showed that it occurs at a rate of 4-6% in childhood. In the research, 50% of the children who participated were found to be in serious ailment and required medication. There was a great risk for these children to have depression relapse in their adult life. In adolescents, they were found to be at a higher risk of major depressive disorder. This is where the majority of the onset of depression starts. The majority were in age between 15 and 18 years old. Girls were more affected than boys with the rate for boys being half that of the girls (Profile of Depression in Australia, n.d.). Depression can also, for the first time, occur in early adulthood. The rate of depression was estimated to be 3.4% for men and 6.8% for women for one year (Profile of Depression in Australia, n.d.).
A group of many different ethnic communities comprises of the Australian population. Their number increased rapidly from 19% to 59%between 1947 and 1993. People born in non-English –speaking countries had a lower prevalence than those born in Australia. Refugees are another major concern in Australia. Most of them have experienced torture and about 80% of them show depression symptoms (Profile of Depression in Australia, n.d.).
Those people living in rural and remote areas have shown to have a higher number of people committing suicide, especially those between 15-24 years. The problem is because rural areas these people lack access to health services.
Veterans and defense services personnel have shown a considerable amount of depression. This is thought to have been caused by exposure to a war zone. Children whose parents have a mental disorder are at a higher risk of having depression. They get more fear as there is a gap between them and the parent. Others especially first born are faced with responsibility of taking care of the siblings. Many responsibilities at a young age make them vulnerable (Profile of Depression in Australia, n.d.).
Mental illness is common in Australia. 20% of Australians suffer mental illness at a stage in their life. Mental illnesses have been seen to decrease with age. The rate was 27% for those between age 18 and 24, while it was 6.1% for those above 65 years old. Mental disorders are among the greatest causes of disability burden in Australia. It is estimated to have 27% of the years lost due to disability (Mindframe, 2011).
As a person grows old, he or she may experience greater challenges that may lead to depression such as when a husband or wife dies or some other health problems. It causes one’s health to deteriorate. Unfortunately, many incidences of depression in the elderly are not taken care of. This is because many of them stay alone while others think their physical condition or another ailment is the cause of depression. Many of the old people end up tolerating depression. The victims think they are not supposed to enjoy their lives any longer which should not be the case (Profile of Depression in Australia, n.d.).
Depression comes with different characteristics: a person feels sad and tired; social isolation; and low self esteem are common. There is also a tendency to use excessive alcohol and thoughts of committing suicide keep on recurring (Smith et al., 2011).
It is also dangerous for older patients because they have health disorders which lead them to think of senile. Depression in old people may occur, either as the first time or recurrence. Most of the depression in old age people persists and does not respond to medication if not early diagnosed. It can cause premature death (Smith et al., 2011).
My Role in Supporting Victims of Depression
Due to the fact that I am in a regular contact with the people who are affected by depression, I believe that I am well placed to give assistance. My position as a member of the advisory committee also gives me initial credibility to approach people and thus it will be quite easy for anyone in the community especially those who are affected by depression. It is fortunate that being in such a high ranking advisory committee will also help me to approach professionals who might equally be yoked in depression.
I intend to use the above credibility to assist clients who are in depression. By the fact that they will be willing to listen to me, I will offer them some counseling services and inform them of agencies which can and are willing to help. I will also be willing to connect them with professionals who can assist them overcome depression.
Two Professionals who can help
Depression can be effectively treated by specialists. Two professionals who can be of great help to people who are in depression are, among others, psychologists and physiologists.
Psychologist
Psychologists study the science of mind and behavior. Clinical psychologists diagnose, treat and help in prevention of depression (Cherry, 2011). They also teach and research on mental disorders such as depression. They treat the addicts of drugs and alcohol and they promote programs for treatment of social problems: “Health psychologists mainly deal with biology, Psychology, behavior and social factors influence on health and illness” (Cherry, 2011, p. 1). Health psychologists also play an important role to alleviate the factors that cause depression. They offer services on, “stress reduction, weight management, smoking cessation and healthy nutrition. They also advise and teach on avoiding risky sexual behaviors, hospice care and counseling for patients with terminal illnesses” (Cherry, 2011, p. 1). In addition health psychologists can work with the government to influence public policy on health issues (Cherry, 2011).
Physiologists
One of the factors which may lead to development of a depression is the state of the physical body. In the age of being time conscious all the time, it is possible that people may overwork their bodies and end in depression as they do not allocate enough time for rest and relaxing their bodies. Physiologists are expected to be of great help in such situations. Physiologists will help to draw programs for physical exercises and will make vital suggestions which will significantly help in relaxing the physical body.
A physiologist will can also make suggestions on the kind of food intake for the depressed people, for example, Omega -3 fat intakes should be recommended as it helps to maintain healthy mental functioning. Intake of alcohol should be discouraged as it increases the risk of having the disease. Diet therapy should encourage a balanced diet; Vitamin B1 that helps in functioning of nerve cell and energy production together with vitamin B6 which helps in hormonal balance are encouraged. Lack of enough diet may lead to depression (Depression guide, 2005).
Working together with the Professionals
Advisory Committee’s professionals will work together with psychologists and physiologists to treat and prevent depression. They work on the publications on depression and planning for events such as seminars to create awareness of the disease to the community. The advisory board also advices on the best practices to meet the needs of the patients (Morgan, 2011). They should ensure that the consumer bill of rights is implemented. This include, “Information disclosure, choice of providers and plans, access to emergency services, participation in treatment decisions, respect and nondiscrimination, the confidentiality of health information, complaints and appeals” (Medline, 2011, p. 1)
To effectively kick out depression from the community, the government together with medical experts such as psychiatrists, psychologists, consumer advisory committees, and counselors should work together. They should build healthy public policies in all sectors such as education, economic development, and recreation. They should ensure supportive environments for the people and strengthen community action. The government should most focus on prevention other than treatment (Four worlds, 2011).
Health services should work with social workers and redirect their services to primary needs that cause and bring about the disease. They should work without discrimination so as to enable all to afford quality medical services (Four worlds, 2011).
Conclusion
Depression is caused by both internal and external environments. The inner person and his/her environment have a great influence on the disease. Depression lowers productivity in a person and takes away enthusiasm and joy from him/her. It deprives motivation to live and bring loss to the patient as well as to the community. However, counseling and support together with medication can alleviate the effects of depression. When properly treated, one is likely to completely heal. Efficiency of eradication depends on the unity between the psychologists, psychiatrics and consumer advisory committees. Medical workers should work together with the government, community organizations and nutritionists towards eliminating and managing depression in the society.
References
AIHW. (2010). Chronic Disease: Australia’s National Agency for Health and Welfare Statistics and Information. Web.
Cherry, K. (2011). What is a Health Psychologist? Web.
Depression guide. (2005). Depression. Web.
Four Worlds. (2011). Healing Models and Strategies. Web.
Gerrig et al. (2009). Psychological Disorders. Psychology and Life. Pearson Education: Australia.
Medline. (2011). Consumer rights and Responsibilities. Web.
Mindframe. (2011). Suicide and Mental illness in the media. Web.
Morgan, S. (2011). Mental health care. Web.
Profile of Depression in Australia. (n.d.). Profile of Depression in Australia. 2011. Web.
Smith et al. (2010). Depression in older adults and the elderly. Web.
WHO. (2011). Mental Health and Disorder Management. Web.