Introduction
The chosen case study involves the story of Anita, who is a 32-year-old mother experiencing symptoms of depression, self-neglect, anxiety, and doubt. It is associated with her moving to another city, becoming a stay-at-home mother, and getting separated from her friends and family, while receiving very little in terms of emotional support from her children and husband. The proposed model to be used in Anita’s recovery is patient-centered care. The purpose of this paper is to identify factors that impact the individual’s mental health and well-being, possible approaches that could be used to address the issues and provide a strategy involving all resources available to the patient.
Factors that Impact the Individual’s Mental Health and Wellbeing
Humans are social creatures, and prolonged isolation from the usual circles of interaction can negatively influence a person’s mental health in the long term. As it is possible to see, Anita was completely removed from all of her friends, when moving to a new city. Her family remained in another state, and her new position as a stay-at-home mother did not contribute to forming new social circles. Social isolation is a prerequisite to many mental issues, including depression, anxiety, and various kinds of phobias (Hari, 2018). Based on the case study, several factors contribute to Anita’s state:
- No friend circles in the city;
- No physical contact with one’s parents and relatives;
- Little support from husband and children;
- No employment, contributing to isolation and anxiety.
These issues have to be addressed to remove the root causes of the woman’s mental health issues. The chosen person-centered approach to recovery means that Anita would have to take an active part in her process, which would be aimed at empowering her to improve her mental well-being.
Possible Evidence-Based Person-Centered Treatment Approaches
There are several possible treatments available for Anita that do not involve intrusive treatments. The first issue that needs to be addressed is the impact of symptoms on her daily functioning. Anxiety and loneliness may be affecting her activity at the physical level by influencing her hormonal levels (Hari, 2018). Anita should undergo an examination to discover if that is the case. It has been discovered that the likelihood of depression is closely related to the levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine in one’s body (Erzen & Çikrikci, 2018). If that is indeed the case, then specific medicine should be taken to affect the immediate symptoms of the illness.
The second step should involve repairing the social circles and forming new ones; Opportunities for socialization have to be sought. Anita has access to an assortment of supportive groups full of people with similar issues. Among them, she could find understanding and compassion. Research shows that individuals suffering from loneliness and anxiety could find a reciprocal empathetic bond with people who are similar to them, thus finding common ground, emotional support, and further avenues for conversation, friendship, and self-development (Adhikari, 2022). Finally, Anita should seek to return to work, as a means of restoring her self-worth and independence, while increasing the size of her social circles. According to Cortès-Franch et al. (2018), there is a positive connection between employment, the size of one’s social circle, and emotional stability, when compared to stay-at-home motherhood. Since Anita was a talented manager, she should seek to find self-realization in that field of industry once again.
The Role of the Family and Friends in the Recovery Process
Until Anita manages to rebuild her social circles, it falls upon family members and distant friends and relatives to assist Anita in finding self-actualization, self-love, and companionship. Husband and children should actively engage with her daily, treating one another not as a chore but as valuable family members (Hari, 2018). In particular, they need to realize their partial responsibility for Anita’s current state. Family and friends can engage in long-range communication using social media, to maintain an online presence in her life (Hari, 2018). They should continue to do so even after Anita feels better, to maintain strong empathetic relationships with one another.
Conclusion
Anita’s current signs of anxiety and depression have been caused by social isolation. It was triggered by the complete severance of most of her social circles coupled with minimal effort to build new ones. As a result, she is isolated in her own home. Her symptoms may indicate a hormonal imbalance caused by stress and loneliness. It can be dealt with utilizing medications affecting serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Once her apathy and low levels of engagement are temporarily restored, she should focus on rebuilding her social circles by finding new friends, reconnecting with old ones, and getting employed. Family should play a crucial role in Anita’s recovery, as it is their duty and responsibility to be there for their mother and wife. The proposed person-centered approach is supported by contemporary evidence and can be extrapolated to other similar cases. Unfortunately, the problem of depressed and lonely stay-at-home mothers is exceedingly common around the world.
References
Adhikari, H. (2022). Anxiety and depression: Comparative study between working and non-working mothers. ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 12(2), 273-282.
Cortès-Franch, I., Escribà-Agüir, V., Benach, J., & Artazcoz, L. (2018). Employment stability and mental health in Spain: Towards understanding the influence of gender and partner/marital status. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 1-11.
Erzen, E., & Çikrikci, Ö. (2018). The effect of loneliness on depression: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 64(5), 427-435.
Hari, J. (2018). Lost connections: Uncovering the real causes of depression-and the unexpected solutions. London: Bloomsbury Circus.