Introduction
The prevalence of mental health conditions has been the subject of many studies, with most of these highlighting the increase in these illnesses. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimates that close to 4% of the general population have a serious mental health illness. An even larger number of people have mild symptoms of this condition with only half receiving any form of treatment (Haws, 2015). This paper discusses depression as one of the mental health conditions affecting patients in a skilled nursing facility.
Mental Health Condition Investigated: Depression
The mental health condition chosen for this paper is depression. According to The American Psychiatric Association (APA), depression is one of the many mental illnesses in the spectrum of mood disorders. This condition affects more than a third of individuals over 64 years with mental health conditions (Haddad, Menchetti, McKeown, Tylee, & Mann, 2015). This condition was selected because of the relatively high prevalence among patients requiring nursing care at a local facility. According to Haddad and colleagues (2015), depression causes an alteration in the mood of the patient with prominent sadness, loss of interest, and a variety of other emotional problems.
Population Chosen and Rationale
The population chosen is the patients attending a local skilled nursing facility. This facility was chosen because it has a constant flow of patients with the diagnosis of depression. The geriatric population in this facility is high reflecting the constant diagnosis of depression. Additionally, this facility caters to a large number of patients that can be used to investigate the effects of this condition. According to Haddad and colleagues (2015), only half of the patients with mild symptoms of depression visit a health facility. Consequently, the patients visiting this facility will be crucial in obtaining data on the prevalence of depression, its symptoms, and management.
Social Factors to Consider
Social factors have been identified as the main predisposing and aggravating factors for most mental health conditions (Akira, Yosuke, Haruki, & Yoshihiko, 2015). Consequently, a variety of social factors has been described as influential in the development and course of this mental illness. In fact, these social factors are also significant in the intersection of the condition in society. Among the factors considered in the intersection of depression, including access to healthcare, the socioeconomic status of patients, and their immigration status. Depression affects a larger number of people of low socioeconomic factors compared to other individuals (Akira, Yosuke, Haruki, & Yoshihiko, 2015). Consequently, these people are unable to meet the cost of their management. Most immigrants are also unable to obtain appropriate management. Other important socioeconomic factors include the ethnicity of the patients where minorities are unable to cater to their health needs.
The social factors responsible for the development of depression also include drug and substance abuse. In addition, some social backgrounds predispose some individuals to depression. A tragic life experience may result in depression in those that are directly or indirectly affected (Akira, Yosuke, Haruki, & Yoshihiko, 2015). Nurses and other health care providers should consider these social factors in the management of patients with depression (Akira, Yosuke, Haruki, & Yoshihiko, 2015)
Symptoms Encountered
The American Psychological Association (APA) is tasked with the definition of symptoms associated with mental illnesses. According to this body, the symptoms of depression include lack of interest in daily activities or pleasurable activities, positive or negative changes in weight over a short period, and lack of sleep (DeFilippis & Wagner, 2014). Additionally, these patients experience reduced concentration ability, excessive feelings of worthlessness, and may have suicidal thoughts (DeFilippis & Wagner, 2014).
The most common of the symptoms of depression is sadness where patients with this mental illness usually withdraw themselves from society (Haddad, Menchetti, McKeown, Tylee, & Mann, 2015). Aside from the conventional symptoms of depression, suicidal ideation is the most worrying. The suicide rates in patients with depression are high and require a holistic approach to prevention (Lester, 2015). Depression being a leading mental health disorder is also the leading cause of suicide universally. The recognition and diagnosis of depression require a combination of these symptoms as dictated by the American Psychological Association (Lester, 2015).
Appropriate Nursing Interventions
The management of patients with depression requires a holistic approach. Any intervention selected should target the illness as well as the predisposing factors (DeFilippis & Wagner, 2014). Social support is among the most useful interventions in the management of patients with depression. According to DeFilippis and Wagner (2014), patients with this mental illness should get appropriate social support from their health care provider and family. This social support includes the removal of social modifiers of the disease. The rationale for this intervention is to ensure that the patient has no predisposing factors.
The other appropriate nursing intervention that may have an effect on the progression and outcome of depression in the clinical setting is exercise. According to DeFilippis and Wagner (2014), regular exercise is associated with improved mental health and is important in the management of mental illnesses such as depression. The medical management of depression requires a combination of antidepressants. Consequently, nurses need to administer the antidepressants to these patients as required and prescribed. Examples of antidepressants in use include lithium, tricyclic antidepressants, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (Haddad, Menchetti, McKeown, Tylee, & Mann, 2015).
Other relevant nursing interventions in the management of patients with depression include appropriate diet and guided speech therapy. Group therapy is also an important part of the management of depression patients (Haddad, Menchetti, McKeown, Tylee, & Mann, 2015). The rationale for this intervention is that group therapy encourages patients with depression and ensures that they understand their problem. Additionally, nurses need to ensure that these patients regularly visit a psychiatrist or other mental health professionals.
Summary of Research Findings
Several research articles were useful in the paper and provided useful information on depression and its management. However, the research process was difficult because of the availability of these articles. The main findings include that depression is a common mental health illness (Haws, 2015). Another finding is that this condition is undermanaged as not all patients visit mental health facilities (Haws, 2015). In addition, the research articles provided information on the available management modalities for depression.
Aside from these findings, the research articles used in the paper provided valuable information on the effectiveness of social interventions in nursing care (Haws, 2015). Surprisingly, these patients are managed in facilities that are not specialized. Consequently, there is a need to ensure that patients with dementia access mental health programs in facilities that offer specialized mental health services (Dittrich et al., 2015). The results of management would improve if patients with depression were managed in such areas.
References
Akira, H., Yosuke, H., Haruki, N., & Yoshihiko, T. (2015). Prospective associations of Depressive Rumination and Social Problem Solving with Depression: A 6-month longitudinal Study. Psychological Reports, 116(3), 870-888.
DeFilippis, M., & Wagner, K. D. (2014). Management of treatment-resistant depression in children and adolescents. Pediatric Drugs, 16(5), 353-361.
Dittrich, K. A., Lutfiyya, M. N., Kucharyski, C. J., Grygelko, J. T., Dillon, C. L., Hill, T. J., &… Huot, K. L. (2015). A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study Comparing Depression and Health Service Deficits between Rural and Non-rural U.S. Military Veterans. Military Medicine, 180(4), 428-435.
Haddad, M., Menchetti, M., McKeown, E., Tylee, A., & Mann, A. (2015). The development and psychometric properties of a measure of clinicians’ attitudes to depression: the revised Depression Attitude Questionnaire (R-DAQ). BMC Psychiatry, 15(1), 1-12.
Haws, J. M. (2015). Anxiety and depression: the hidden cost of long-term conditions. Practice Nurse, 45(4), 41-45.
Lester, D. (2015). Morningness-Eveningness, Current Depression, and past Suicidality. Psychological reports, 116(2), 331-336.