Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Depression in the Lifespan
Depression is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon affecting multiple age cohorts. It is therefore important to understand what differential age-related risk factors account for the manifestation of depressive symptoms, whether precipitating factors are genetic or environmental, also how specific treatment interventions might change depending on age-related needs or age-appropriate interventions. A developmental approach to depression can provide some insight into how clinicians can improve treatment interventions and promote a more nuanced and realistic understanding of the disorder. The symptoms of depression are also likely to be different for different age cohorts, in part due to developmental differences, but also to biological differences in brain structure and chemistry, life experiences and socialization. This topic is important to both clinical and counseling psychology because reframing depression from a developmental perspective can shed light on etiology and best practices.
Review of Literature
Literature has generally not focused on a developmental theoretical perspective, even though early research showed that "socioemotional, cognitive, linguistic, social-cognitive, neurobiological,...
1). Moreover, researchers have yet to devise reliable methods of measuring depression in early childhood, instead reverting to the misapplication of adult surveys and instruments that might be irrelevant for younger age groups. Simmons, Wilkinson & Dubicka (2015) note that, "since the recognition of youth depression, numerous instruments have been developed, but there is little consensus regarding their use," (p. 230). Increased consensus and more finely tuned instrumentation for measuring and diagnosing depression in young people would tremendously help evolve more efficacious interventions.
More recent research on the application of Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) to depression reveals potential areas where developmental psychology can converge with other frameworks for understanding mood disorders in childhood and adolescence. IPT in particular might be indicated for young cohorts to the proven efficaciousness of the modality in general: deMello, Mari, Bacaltchuk & Neugebauer (2005) performed a meta-analysis and found that IPT leads to results comparable to medical interventions for depression, and in fact the results "did not increase when combined with medication," (deMello, et al., 2005, p. 75). This would suggest methods of intervention that avoid the use of pharmacological treatments. IPT also offers a "time limited" method of helping young people, who may benefit from a targeted and brief approach. deMello, et al. (2005) also found that IPT proved more efficacious when treating depression versus cognitive-behavioral…
References
Cicchetti, D., Nurcombe, B. & Garber, J. (1992). Developmental approaches to depression. Development and Psychopathology 4(1992): 1-3.
deMello, M.F., Mari, Jdj., Bacaltchuk, J. & Neugebauer, R. (2005). A systematic review of research findings on the efficacy of interpersonal therapy for depressive disorders. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 255(2): 75-82.
Hyde, M., Hanson, L. M., Chungkham, H. S., Leineweber, C. & Westerlund, H. (2015). The impact of involuntary exit from employment in later life on the risk of major depression and being prescribed anti-depressant medication. Aging & Mental Health 1(5): p381-389.
Simmons, M., Wilkinson, P. & Dubicka, B. (2015). Measurement Issues: Depression measures in children and adolescents. Child & Adolescent Mental Health 20(4): 230-241.
Even in persons with full-blown depression, such alterations of negative life patterns can be helpful. Although "depression can be treated in a variety of ways," either with antidepressant medications or counseling, "most people benefit from a combination of the two. Some studies have shown that antidepressant drug therapy combined with psychotherapy appears to have better results than either therapy alone. ("Major Depression," 2006, Medline Plus Encyclopedia) The most common medications
Clinical Depression Major depressions or unipolar depressions are some of the names by which the term Clinical depression is known, which is a type of depressive disorder. To explain, it is a condition that is to be diametrically observed, in the sense that the expert does not count on a patient's self-report but checks for indications of depression that can be noticed and recognized. (Schatzberg, 2002) Clinical depression is a
Thus, most of the research cited in this literature review address the efficacy of treatment interventions on alleviating the symptoms of major chronic depression. 5. The authors found that while antidepressants were "effective" in treating the symptoms of chronic major depression, "no particular drug was better than another," (p. 2). The main conclusion drawn from the review of literature was that patient outcomes improve when patients are more involved in
Various intervening and overlapping factors are responsible for their susceptibility to depression. As much a stress-related problems can be zeroed in to blame for prevalence of this illness, nurture and nature play a role in a person's coping abilities. Genetics also contribute to the probability of a person to experience major depression. It does not, however, run in the family, but increases the likelihood of a person to experience
Discussion Depression can have profound and devastating effects on individuals, including the elderly. Since the elderly population is continually aging, it is important that factors involved in treatment interventions for depression among the elderly be investigated to its fullest extent. The purpose of this study is to illuminate the effectiveness of different treatment modalities among the elderly and the influence that personality traits have on outcomes. This proposal aimed to ask
Depression There is a stark and medical difference between feelings of sadness and clinical mood disorders such as unipolar depression and bipolar disorders. Both disorders can have a profound on the quality of life of an individual. Often times the two disorders are precipitated by specific events and sometimes they just are, in any event effective diagnostic tools and treatments exist. It is not a hopeless situation in the least. In